Kirschner wires or Kirschner wires or needles are sterilized, sharp, and smooth stainless steel needles. Introduced by Martin Kirschner in 1909, it is now widely used in orthopedics and other types of medical and veterinary surgery. They come in different sizes and are used to hold bone fragments together (pin fixation) or to provide anchors for bone traction. Usually an electric drill or hand drill is used to drive the pin through the skin (percutaneous pin fixation) into the bone. They are also part of the Ilizarov installation.