The disposable vaginal speculum is a temporary metal or plastic device used to keep natural cavities’ orifices open. The speculum also makes it easy to see into the cavities since its smooth inside surface makes it easier for light to enter.
What Material Should be Used for a Disposable Vaginal Speculum?
Plastic or metal Disposable Vaginal Speculum is both acceptable for your consultations; the only distinction is one of cost. Because the Plastic Speculum must not be cleaned or sterilized before use, it is more sanitary and cost-effective. The metal Speculum is composed of stainless steel, so each time it is used, it needs to be cleaned and sanitized. It is more pleasant to use a steel speculum than a plastic one.
What is a Disposable Vaginal Speculum Used For?
- Seeing the walls (color, appearance, flexibility, presence of a lesion, bleeding).
- To look for an infectious agent, take a sample.
- To take a biopsy or a smear to examine the cells’ appearance.
- Allow a therapeutic intervention, such as electrocoagulation or polypectomy.
Many Types of Disposable Vaginal Speculum:
An appropriate model is depending on the sort of examination; we distinguish between the vaginal, rectal, auricular, and nasal speculums.
Using a vaginal scope:
Medical equipment that works well for exams is the disposable vaginal speculum. It is a tool that a gynecologist uses to increase the vaginal cavity by creating a little breach between the vaginal walls. This enables you to conduct the appropriate interventions after doing a better inside inspection.
- similar to the rectum, but with more rounded movable valves.
- allows for the examination of the cervix, vaginal fornices, and vaginal walls.
- It can identify vaginal infections.
- The ovaries or fallopian tubes are not visible to him.
- The gynecologist can do cervical-vaginal smears in addition to the conventional samples for the detection of STDs.
The Analytical Speculum or Rectal:
This analytical tool makes observation easier. It is comparable to the disposable vaginal speculum, with the exception that stainless steel is the sole material offered because plastic would shatter during the examination.
- Metal cone with a valve that may be moved, measuring the length of a finger.
- the external source of light.
- withdraws the whole rectal mucosa from the angle of the sigmoid at the top to the anus, allowing viewing.
- highlights practically all rectum and anus illnesses.
Speculum for the ears:
The ear speculum was created specifically for using an otoscope to view the interior of the ear. During usage, this one-time use item is mono-patient. It should be thrown away in the designated medical waste container.
- The ear specula must enable strong light transmission, be straight, and hug the patient’s ear canal as closely and pleasantly as possible to provide a high-quality examination.
- An ear diagnostic requires and requires the use of an ear speculum. He examines the conduit’s orientation about the strength of its walls.
- put on a gadget with a light source and a magnifying lens, the cone is just a simple piece of plastic.
- The speculum allows for the examination of the conduit (including the presence or absence of plugs and mucous membrane lesions like eczema plaques, for example) and the eardrum (which is visible thanks to pearl white rounds put into the conduit’s walls at the bottom).
Using a nasal scope:
ENT exams are the intended use of the nasal speculum. It is very simple to operate because of its two blades with adjustable spacing that create a duckbill cone. To get access to the nasal cavity, just draw the blades together, enter them there, and then spread them apart. It maintains its position on its own and releases the doctor’s hands thanks to its automated retention mechanism.
- Conical in shape, small, and lacking an integrated light source.
- enables viewing of the nasal fossae mucosal membrane, the septum, and particularly the vascular spot, a significant and delicate vessel junction.
- For nasal inspections, ENT professionals typically employ disposable nasal specula.
The usage of metal nasal specula, on the other hand, necessitates their cleaning with a disinfectant, ideally a sterilizing agent.