Deaver Retractor, 19 mm to 25 mm Blade, Fiberoptic Option
Price range: $ 25.00 through $ 55.00
Deaver retractors are large hand held abdominal retractors with a broad blade curved into the shape of a question mark, and that curve is what lets them reach past everything in the way and lift what is underneath. The classic use is raising the liver to expose the gallbladder, and the same blade holds stomach, bowel and the abdominal wall in open procedures. Our own record carries three sizes, 19 mm on 17.5 cm, 22 mm on 20 cm and 25 mm on 30 cm, with or without a fiberoptic light carrier.
Key Features
- A broad, deeply curved blade for deep visceral retraction
- Three blade and length combinations from our own record, 19, 22 and 25 mm
- Available with or without a fiberoptic light carrier
- Smooth blunt edges, so organs are held rather than marked
- Used in laparotomy, cholecystectomy, gastric, colorectal and pelvic surgery
- High quality medical grade stainless steel, autoclavable and made to be used again
- Three year replacement warranty against manufacturing defects
What the deaver retractor is
The deaver retractor is a large hand held abdominal retractor with a broad blade bent into a deep curve. Catalogs and surgeons describe that curve the same way, as the shape of a question mark, and it is the reason the instrument exists.
A flat blade can only push tissue aside. This one reaches over and past what is in the way, then lifts it. The classic use is raising the liver to expose the gallbladder and the structures behind it, and the same blade holds the stomach, the small and large bowel and the abdominal wall in any open procedure that needs to see past them.
It is named after John Blair Deaver, the American surgeon who set the pattern, and it has stayed in essentially the same shape since.
Key design features of this abdominal retractor
Four features, and two of them are ordering choices carried in our own record.
- A deeply curved blade. The question mark shape that lets it reach past and lift.
- Three sizes. 19 mm on 17.5 cm, 22 mm on 20 cm and 25 mm on 30 cm, all from our own record. Blade width and length move together, because a wider blade is only useful if it reaches.
- Smooth blunt edges. Nothing on the working end is sharp. It holds organs, it does not grip them.
- A fiberoptic option. With or without a light carrier, also from our own record.
Deaver retractor sizes
This is the section most people arrive for, so it goes near the top rather than buried at the bottom.
| Blade width | Overall length | Light carrier | Where it comes from | Item code |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 mm | 17.5 cm | With or without fiberoptic | Our own product record | AP-59.190 |
| 22 mm | 20 cm | With or without fiberoptic | Our own product record | AP-59.190 |
| 25 mm | 30 cm | With or without fiberoptic | Our own product record | AP-59.190 |
| 38 mm to 75 mm | Up to 36 cm | Published by other catalogs. NOT held by us and not claimed as ours |
Our record carries three blade and length combinations and they are paired, not mixed. Other catalogs publish widths out to 75 mm and lengths out to 36 cm; those are not repeated here as ours because we do not hold them. If you need a width we do not list, ask, because these are made to order.
Deaver retractor uses
More people search for deaver retractor uses than search to buy one, and that is worth answering properly rather than treating as a nuisance.
| Procedure | What the deaver retractor is used for |
|---|---|
| Open cholecystectomy | Lifting the liver to expose the gallbladder. The classic use |
| Exploratory laparotomy | Holding bowel and abdominal wall clear of the field |
| Gastric surgery | Retracting the stomach and the structures around it |
| Pancreatic surgery | Deep exposure behind the stomach |
| Colorectal surgery | Holding large bowel and the pelvic brim |
| Pelvic surgery | Deep exposure where the lit version earns its cost |
| Teaching and operating room training | The instrument every student meets first, which is why so many of the searches for it are questions |
What the blade holds, and what it does not
A big curved blade is the right answer deep in an abdomen and the wrong answer almost everywhere else.
| Structure | How the blade takes it |
|---|---|
| The liver | Lifted from underneath on the curve. The use the shape was made for |
| Stomach and bowel | Held aside over a broad blunt face |
| The abdominal wall | Held back from inside |
| Deep pelvic structures | Reached on the longer 30 cm blade |
| Skin and subcutaneous flaps | NOT this one. It is a visceral instrument. Use a rake |
| Anything needing a custom shape | NOT this one. The curve is fixed. Use a malleable ribbon |
| Fine or superficial tissue | NOT this one, at any size |
How this deaver abdominal retractor compares with the rest of the family
Five of the six rows are instruments we make. The choice a deaver abdominal retractor is usually weighed against is the malleable ribbon, and the first row sets out why.
| Pattern | How it differs | When you reach for it instead |
|---|---|---|
| Ribbon retractor malleable | A flat blade with NO fixed shape, bent by hand | When the standard curve does not fit the anatomy |
| Saldanha abdominal retractor | Four or eight prongs, fiberoptic option | A skin and fat flap rather than an organ |
| Yancoskie abdominoplasty retractor | Six sharp prongs on a flat 150 mm head | An abdominal flap in a tummy tuck |
| Volkman retractor | One to four prongs, sharp or blunt | Superficial soft tissue, not viscera |
| Miller rake retractor | Nine blunt prongs on a 15 mm head | Superficial work where nothing may be pierced |
| Balfour self retaining retractor | Holds itself open, no hand needed | A long case where nobody should have to hold anything |
Materials and finish
Made from high quality medical grade stainless steel, satin finished, which on a blade this size is not cosmetic: a broad polished face at the bottom of an abdomen throws the operating light straight back up at the surgeon. The steel itself is made to a German specification. The blade edges are rolled, because an edge that is square will bruise a liver it is only meant to be holding.
Care and sterilization
Clean with a soft brush under running water, working along the inside of the curve where tissue and fluid collect and are easy to miss, and around the light post on the lit version. Rinse in deionized water and dry fully before autoclaving. Store flat. Check the curve against a known good instrument now and then: a blade that has been levered hard can open out by a few degrees, and a Deaver that has lost its curve has lost the only thing that separates it from a flat blade.
Ordering and wholesale
Adas Instruments makes this pattern to order and supplies hospitals, surgical centers and distributors across the United States, Latin America, Europe and Asia. Item code AP-59.190. State the size and whether you want the fiberoptic version. Bulk and wholesale pricing is available, and instruments held on backorder ship in 10 to 12 working days. Every instrument carries a three year replacement warranty against manufacturing defects. Certifications: CE. Production is controlled under an ISO 13485 quality management system.
Frequently asked questions
What is a deaver retractor used for?
Holding deep abdominal organs back so the surgeon can see past them. The classic use is lifting the liver to expose the gallbladder in an open cholecystectomy, and it is also used on the stomach, the small and large bowel and the abdominal wall in laparotomy, gastric, pancreatic, colorectal and pelvic surgery.
What deaver retractor sizes are there?
Our own record carries three, and blade width and length are paired: 19 mm on 17.5 cm, 22 mm on 20 cm, and 25 mm on 30 cm. Other catalogs publish blades out to 75 mm and lengths out to 36 cm. Pick the width from how much you need held and the length from how deep it sits, and if those two do not line up in our list, ask.
Why is the deaver retractor shaped like a question mark?
So it can reach over something and lift it rather than push it. A straight blade presses tissue sideways, which in an abdomen mostly moves the problem. The deep curve lets the tip pass underneath a structure such as the liver and take its weight, and the long flat body keeps the surgeon hand well outside the cavity while it does.
Is a deaver retractor the same as a malleable ribbon retractor?
No, and they are the two instruments most often weighed against each other. A Deaver has one fixed curve, which is stronger and faster to place. A malleable ribbon has no fixed shape and is bent by hand to fit. Reach for the Deaver when the standard curve suits the anatomy, and the ribbon when it does not.
Does the deaver retractor come with a light?
Yes, as an option, and it is carried in our own record. A fiberoptic light carrier puts the light at the tip of the blade, at the bottom of the cavity, instead of asking it to travel past the surgeon hands and the edge of the wound. On deep pelvic and upper abdominal work that is the difference between seeing the plane and feeling for it.
Related products and categories
Buyers who order the deaver retractor usually order alongside it the ribbon retractor malleable, the yancoskie abdominoplasty retractor and the saldanha abdominal retractor. The whole family sits in hooks and retractors, and the lit version is also listed under fiber optic instruments.
Buyers comparing blade retractors also look at the jackson retractor, which is the single ended right angled pattern used in pelvic surgery.
| Weight | 0.15 kg |
|---|---|
| Select Size | 19mm x 17.5cm, 22mm x 20cm, 25mm x 30cm |
| Tip options | With Fiberoptic, without fiberoptic |
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