Disposable surgical instruments

Aesculap SUSI® and HARTMANN Peha®-instrument for professional single-use surgical applications

Disposable surgical instruments provide hospitals, outpatient departments and medical practices with sterile instruments that are immediately available for a defined procedure and do not have to enter the reprocessing cycle after use.

For this category, V-MEDTECH focuses on two established professional concepts: Aesculap SUSI® – Single Use Surgical Instruments and HARTMANN Peha®-instrument.

The two product ranges follow the same basic single-use principle but use distinctly different approaches. Aesculap SUSI® instruments are manufactured from a reinforced high-performance polyamide, whereas HARTMANN Peha®-instrument uses surgical single-use instruments made of matt-brushed high-quality steel.

This distinction makes the category particularly useful for healthcare facilities that want to select their single-use instrumentation according to procedure, handling requirements, material concept and existing clinical workflows.

What Are Disposable Surgical Instruments?

Sterile instruments intended for a single procedure

Disposable surgical instruments – also known as single-use surgical instruments – are designed to be used for one intended procedure and subsequently disposed of according to the applicable clinical waste-management requirements.

Unlike reusable surgical instruments, they do not need to undergo the complete reprocessing cycle after the procedure.

This can simplify processes involving:

cleaning
disinfection
sterilisation
instrument inspection
instrument maintenance
sterile supply
internal instrument logistics

Both Aesculap and HARTMANN offer single-use systems specifically intended for professional medical and surgical use. Aesculap describes SUSI® as sterile single-use instruments designed particularly for wards and outpatient departments, while HARTMANN offers a broad Peha®-instrument range of sterile single-use surgical instruments.

Two Professional Concepts for Single-Use Surgical Instruments

Aesculap SUSI® and HARTMANN Peha®-instrument

An important difference between the two ranges is the material concept.

	Aesculap SUSI®	HARTMANN Peha®-instrument
Concept	Single Use Surgical Instruments	Single-use surgical instruments
Material	Reinforced polyamide	High-quality surgical steel
Surface / appearance	Clearly identifiable polymer instrument	Matt-brushed metal
Supply	Sterile	Sterile
Packaging	Individually packaged	Individually packaged
Sterile shelf life	5 years	5 years
Reprocessing after use	No	No
Main positioning	Ward, outpatient and surgical procedures	OR, outpatient procedures, medical practices and minor interventions
Instrument sets	Available	Available

Aesculap states that SUSI® instruments are lightweight and robust and manufactured from reinforced polyamide with high stiffness and strength. SUSI® instruments are clearly recognisable as single-use products and come with a five-year sterility guarantee.

HARTMANN describes Peha®-instrument as matt-brushed high-quality steel instruments that are sterile, individually packaged, ready for use and have a shelf life of five years.

Aesculap SUSI® – Single Use Surgical Instruments

Aesculap instrument expertise in a dedicated single-use system

SUSI® stands for Single Use Surgical Instruments.

Aesculap developed the range as a clearly identifiable alternative to conventional reusable steel instruments for selected applications.

Rather than reproducing the conventional reusable instrument entirely in metal, SUSI® uses a reinforced polyamide. According to Aesculap, this combines low weight with the stiffness and strength required for the intended applications.

The concept is particularly interesting wherever instruments need to be available quickly without adding another instrument to the subsequent sterile reprocessing cycle.

Advantages of Aesculap SUSI®

Designed around the single-use workflow

Important characteristics of the SUSI® concept include:

single-use design
reinforced polyamide
lightweight construction
clearly identifiable as a single-use instrument
sterile supply
individual packaging
five-year sterility guarantee
no reprocessing after use
professional Aesculap instrument design
availability of individual instruments and procedure sets

Aesculap specifically positions SUSI® for wards, outpatient departments and emergency care, where sterile and functional instruments need to be available quickly.

Aesculap SUSI® Instrument Range

From scissors and forceps to complete procedure sets

The SUSI® programme includes numerous familiar surgical instrument types.

Depending on the current product range, these include:

surgical scissors
dissecting scissors
anatomical forceps
surgical forceps
artery and haemostatic forceps
sponge and dressing forceps
needle holders
retractors
selected curettes
other specialised instruments
procedure sets

Current Aesculap product information, for example, lists sterile SUSI® artery forceps and sponge forceps as single-use products, while Aesculap's SUSI® catalogue also includes scissors, forceps, needle holders, retractors and various procedure sets.

Aesculap SUSI® Procedure Sets

Instruments combined for defined procedures

A particularly interesting part of the SUSI® concept is the availability of procedure sets.

Instead of selecting individual instruments separately, defined instruments can be combined into a set for a particular clinical workflow.

Aesculap lists sets for applications including wound care and suture procedures as well as other defined procedures.

For hospitals and outpatient departments, this can simplify preparation because the required disposable instruments can be assigned to a defined procedure.

HARTMANN Peha®-instrument

Single-use surgical instruments made of steel

HARTMANN Peha®-instrument takes a different approach.

The instruments are made of matt-brushed high-quality steel and are intended for single use. According to HARTMANN, they are processed in the EU and offer characteristics similar to reusable instruments in terms of intended performance, haptics and design.

This makes Peha®-instrument particularly interesting for users who prefer the familiar handling and appearance of a metal surgical instrument while still requiring a sterile single-use solution.

Advantages of HARTMANN Peha®-instrument

Familiar metal instrumentation without subsequent reprocessing

The Peha®-instrument concept offers:

surgical single-use instruments made of steel
matt-brushed surface
sterile individual packaging
ready-to-use availability
five-year sterile shelf life
no reprocessing after use
familiar instrument geometries
broad range of common surgical instrument types
single-use identification
procedure sets for selected applications

HARTMANN additionally uses the Peha® colour lock® marking to distinguish its single-use instruments from reusable instruments. The packaging also incorporates a traceability label intended to facilitate documentation in patient records.

HARTMANN Peha®-instrument Range

Broad selection for surgical and medical procedures

HARTMANN currently structures the Peha®-instrument range into several major groups:

forceps
scissors
clamps
needle holders
complementary instruments
Basic Sets

The German HARTMANN product catalogue currently lists 44 products within its surgical-instrument category.

The programme includes familiar surgical patterns such as anatomical and surgical forceps, Adson forceps, Mayo and Metzenbaum scissors, Kocher clamps, Halsted mosquito clamps and other specialised instruments.

HARTMANN Peha®-instrument Basic Sets

Ready-to-use sets for minor procedures

HARTMANN also offers sterile Peha®-instrument Basic Sets for minor interventional procedures.

For example, one current Basic Set combines five steel single-use instruments – including Mayo scissors, a Kocher clamp, anatomical and surgical forceps and a Mayo-Hegar needle holder – together with gauze swabs.

A Basic Set Fine is also available with instruments including Metzenbaum scissors, a Halsted mosquito clamp, Adson forceps and a Mayo-Hegar needle holder.

This allows complete instrument combinations to be prepared for defined minor procedures without assembling every component individually.

Aesculap SUSI® or HARTMANN Peha®-instrument?

Polymer or steel – two different single-use concepts

The most visible distinction between the two systems is the material.

Aesculap SUSI® is particularly distinctive because the instruments are manufactured from reinforced polyamide. They are lightweight and immediately recognisable as single-use instruments.

HARTMANN Peha®-instrument, in contrast, uses matt-brushed high-quality steel and therefore remains closer to the appearance and handling concept of conventional reusable surgical instruments.

Neither approach is universally preferable. The appropriate choice depends on the procedure, instrument type, user preference and clinical workflow.

Disposable vs Reusable Surgical Instruments

Different instrument-management concepts

	Disposable instruments	Reusable instruments
Number of uses	One intended use	Multiple uses
Sterile supply	Commonly supplied sterile; verify product	Sterility achieved through appropriate reprocessing
Cleaning after use	No reprocessing for another use	Required
Sterilisation after use	No	Required before subsequent sterile use
Instrument inspection	No return to reusable cycle	Part of instrument cycle
Maintenance	No reusable maintenance cycle	Depending on instrument
Availability	New instrument for the procedure	Dependent on instrument cycle and inventory
Waste	Instrument disposed of after use	Lower instrument turnover, but reprocessing required
Typical applications	Ward, outpatient care, minor procedures, selected surgical workflows	Regular surgical instrument sets and established OR cycles

The decision should therefore not be reduced simply to the purchase price of an individual instrument. Logistics, reprocessing, sterile supply, utilisation frequency and the requirements of the procedure also play an important role.

Disposable Instruments for Hospitals

Reducing dependence on the reprocessing cycle

Single-use instruments can be particularly useful in hospital departments where a small number of surgical instruments is required intermittently.

Typical environments may include:

wards
emergency departments
outpatient departments
procedure rooms
wound management
minor surgery
specialist departments

Aesculap explicitly developed SUSI® around ward and outpatient requirements, while HARTMANN highlights reduced reprocessing effort as one of the advantages of Peha®-instrument.

Disposable Instruments for Medical Practices

Sterile instrumentation without an extensive instrument cycle

Single-use surgical instruments can also be attractive for medical practices performing minor surgical procedures.

This applies particularly where instruments are needed only occasionally or where maintaining an extensive reusable instrument inventory and corresponding reprocessing workflow would be disproportionate to actual use.

Depending on the specialty, relevant products may include:

surgical scissors
forceps
clamps
needle holders
wound hooks
instruments for suture removal
procedure sets

The appropriate instrument must always be selected according to its intended use and the procedure.

Disposable Instruments for Outpatient Surgery

Predictable instrumentation for defined procedures

Outpatient facilities often combine high procedural efficiency with the need for predictable instrument availability.

Single-use instruments can be incorporated into these workflows either as individual instruments or as predefined procedure sets.

This allows a facility to decide procedure by procedure whether reusable instrumentation or a sterile single-use solution is more appropriate.

Sterile Single-Use Surgical Instruments

Ready for use when required

One of the central advantages of both ranges is their sterile supply.

Current Aesculap SUSI® products are specified as sterile single-use products, and the SUSI® programme provides a five-year sterility guarantee.

HARTMANN's Peha®-instrument range is likewise supplied sterile and individually packaged with a stated shelf life of five years.

Before use, the packaging integrity, expiry information and applicable manufacturer's instructions should always be checked.

How to Choose Disposable Surgical Instruments

Procedure, instrument type and material concept

When selecting single-use surgical instruments, consider:

intended procedure
required instrument type
instrument geometry
length and working end
required precision
polymer or steel concept
individual instrument or procedure set
packaging
sterility
storage requirements
required quantities
clinical workflow
disposal concept

For V-MEDTECH, the combination of Aesculap SUSI® and HARTMANN Peha®-instrument is particularly strong because it allows us to offer two genuinely different professional single-use concepts rather than two almost identical product lines.

Frequently Asked Questions about Disposable Surgical Instruments

What are disposable surgical instruments?

They are surgical instruments intended for a single use or procedure and are not returned to the reusable instrument reprocessing cycle after use.

What does SUSI® mean?

SUSI® stands for Single Use Surgical Instruments and is Aesculap's range of surgical single-use instruments.

What material are Aesculap SUSI® instruments made from?

Aesculap states that SUSI® instruments are made from a reinforced polyamide with high stiffness and strength.

What material are HARTMANN Peha®-instrument products made from?

HARTMANN describes Peha®-instrument as single-use surgical instruments made from matt-brushed high-quality steel.

Are Aesculap SUSI® instruments sterile?

Yes. The current SUSI® programme is supplied sterile, and Aesculap states a five-year sterility guarantee.

Are HARTMANN Peha®-instrument products sterile?

Yes. HARTMANN states that Peha®-instrument products are sterile and individually packaged with a five-year shelf life.

Are disposable surgical instruments made only from metal?

No. HARTMANN Peha®-instrument demonstrates the metal concept, while Aesculap SUSI® uses reinforced polyamide.

Are complete disposable surgical sets available?

Yes. Both Aesculap SUSI® and HARTMANN Peha®-instrument include procedure or instrument sets for selected applications.

Do disposable surgical instruments need to be reprocessed?

They are intended for single use and are not intended to be reprocessed for subsequent reuse. The manufacturer's instructions and applicable disposal requirements must be followed.

Buy Disposable Surgical Instruments at V-MEDTECH

At V-MEDTECH, you can find professional disposable surgical instruments from Aesculap SUSI® and HARTMANN Peha®-instrument for hospitals, outpatient departments, medical practices and selected surgical procedures.

The combination of both manufacturers provides two complementary concepts:

Aesculap SUSI® – lightweight, reinforced-polyamide single-use instruments backed by Aesculap's surgical instrument expertise.

HARTMANN Peha®-instrument – sterile single-use surgical instruments made of matt-brushed high-quality steel with handling and design characteristics similar to reusable instruments.

For our category architecture, I would definitely keep this as one manufacturer-independent main category: “Disposable Surgical Instruments”. I would then create Aesculap SUSI® and HARTMANN Peha®-instrument as manufacturer subcategories. This gives us a strong generic SEO landing page while still allowing each concept to develop its own manufacturer-specific relevance.