Separated Instrument
A file or endodontic instrument that has fractured within the root canal during instrumentation, constituting a procedural accident.
Full Definition
A separated instrument is the clinical complication that results when a file—most commonly a nickel-titanium rotary file—fractures and lodges within the root canal, potentially obstructing further canal negotiation and obturation. Management options range from bypassing the fragment and obturating, surgical retrieval, or tooth extraction depending on the fragment's location, canal anatomy, and periapical status. In clinical documentation, the preferred term is 'separated instrument' or 'fractured instrument'; 'broken file' is colloquial and should be avoided in formal reports. Editors should ensure incident reports use consistent and legally defensible terminology.
Usage
Usage note: Preferred over 'broken file' or 'broken instrument' in formal and medicolegal documents. Two words; do not hyphenate. The event should be recorded as a procedural accident in the patient chart.
In Context
- "A separated instrument was noted in the apical third of the mesiolingual canal following rotary instrumentation and was documented in the patient record." — Endodontic incident report
- "The colloquial term 'broken file' should be replaced with 'separated instrument' in all formal clinical and medicolegal documents." — Clinical governance editorial note