A surgical instrument designed to cut through ribs, typically used during thoracic surgery to access the chest cavity.
From Greek kostos 'rib' plus tomos 'cutting' (from temnein 'to cut'). A specialized surgical tool combining ancient anatomical and technical terminology.
A costotome is a brutal but necessary tool—surgeons literally have to cut through your ribs to reach your heart or lungs, and this specialized saw makes that horrifying procedure possible and safer.
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