Agris Dingman Breast Dissectors, Transaxillary Submammary Dissector for Breast Augmentation

What the Agris Dingman breast dissector is

The Agris dingman breast dissector is a hand instrument used to open and mobilize a pocket in breast surgery. Surgeons also call it an Agris Dingman dissector, a transaxillary breast dissector or a Dingman breast dissector. It is made by Adas Instruments in high quality medical grade stainless steel, and it is reusable and fully autoclavable.

It is supplied in two lengths, 35 cm and a 40 cm extra long build. Reach is the point of an Agris Dingman: a transaxillary approach puts the hand in the armpit and the working end at the far edge.

The work a breast dissector does is always the same in principle. A pocket has to be opened along a plane that already exists, without cutting through it and without tearing the tissue on either side. A blunt end pushed along that plane separates it and leaves the small vessels intact, which is why the field stays dry. The width of the blade and the stiffness of the shaft decide which pattern a surgeon picks up.

Key design features of the Agris Dingman breast dissector

• Two lengths, 35 cm and 40 cm extra long, for the reach a transaxillary approach needs
• Left curved and right curved tips, supplied singly or as a set of two
• Blunt working end that opens a plane instead of cutting it
• Shaft stiff enough to hold its line at full extension
• Flat handle that shows the blade angle by feel when the end is out of sight
• High quality medical grade stainless steel, reusable and autoclavable

The handle is flat and knurled rather than round. A flat handle tells you which way the blade is facing when the working end is deep in a pocket and out of sight, and the knurling holds when a glove is wet. The shaft runs into the blade with no step, so there is no shoulder to catch on the edge of an incision and nothing for protein to sit in after a case.

Agris Dingman dissector sizes and build options

Every size below is a size we actually ship. Imperial figures are given beside the metric because United States buyers search in inches.

Nothing is listed above that we do not hold. If a build you need is not in the table, ask, because a pattern like this is often made to order for an OEM run and a change of length or blade width is a tooling change rather than a new instrument.

Uses of the Agris Dingman breast dissector by specialty

The Agris Dingman breast dissector appears on the same trays across these specialties because the job is the same one each time, opening a plane bluntly and holding the pocket where the surgeon meant it to stop.

The specialty name and the procedure name are both worth knowing when you order, because catalogues file this pattern under whichever of the two the buyer used. An operating room manager searches by procedure and a purchasing office searches by specialty, and they are looking for the same instrument.

Tissue planes the Agris Dingman breast dissector works in

A breast dissector handles no suture and no needle. What decides the choice of pattern is the plane it has to open, how far the working end has to travel to reach it, and how much room there is to move once it is there.

Force is the part nobody writes down. A subglandular plane in a young patient opens with almost nothing, while a capsule in a revision case needs a firm push and a stiff shaft behind it. Match the blade to the plane and the instrument does the work instead of your wrist.

How the Agris Dingman breast dissector compares with other patterns

These four sit next to each other on a breast tray and they are not interchangeable.

Surgeons who use this pattern usually also hold the MacCollum Dingman breast dissector, the Silverstein breast dissector and the Reynolds transaxillary breast dissector. The closest relative in the range is the MacCollum Dingman breast dissector.

If you are building a breast tray from scratch, the usual answer is two dissectors rather than one. Something long for the far edge of the pocket and something shorter with more feel at the tip covers almost every case.

Materials and finish

The instrument is made in high quality medical grade stainless steel. The steel itself is made to a German specification. The blade is flat ground and satin finished, which cuts glare under the lights in an operating room and keeps the working end readable against wet tissue. There is no coating to chip and nothing on the shaft to trap protein.

Stainless steel is chosen here for a reason that has nothing to do with appearance. A long shafted dissector is pushed hard at full extension, and a shaft that is too soft will take a set and stay bent, which throws the blade out of the plane on the next pass. A shaft that is too hard will crack at the neck instead. The grade used sits between the two.

Agris dingman breast dissector care and sterilization

Rinse the instrument in cool water straight after use so blood does not dry on the blade. Clean it with a soft brush and a neutral pH enzymatic detergent, rinse in deionized water, then dry it completely. Steam autoclave at 134 degrees Celsius. Lay it flat in the tray with nothing resting across the shaft, because a long shaft that has been loaded sideways in a crowded tray is the one that comes back bent.

Look at the working end against the light before every case. A blunt end should be smooth with no flat spot and no nick, and the shaft should still be straight when you sight down it. A dissector with a nick on the end is what tears a pocket two cases later, and it costs nothing to check.

Ordering and wholesale

This pattern is supplied by Adas Instruments to hospitals, surgical distributors and OEM buyers, in single units and in bulk. The item code is AN-11.14 and it is printed in the size table above so a procurement search finds it. Backorder items dispatch in 10 to 12 working days. Every instrument carries a three year replacement against manufacturing defects.

For wholesale and OEM orders, instruments ship unpackaged in bulk or individually poly bagged, and laser marking with a distributor code or a hospital asset number is available on the shaft. Tell us the quantity and the marking you need and the quotation comes back with the lead time for that run rather than a stock figure.

Production is controlled under an ISO 13485 quality management system. The instrument is CE marked.

Frequently asked questions

What is an Agris Dingman breast dissector used for?

It opens and mobilizes the pocket in breast augmentation and reconstruction, subglandular or submuscular. It is the pattern reached for when the incision is in the axilla, because the working end must travel the length of the breast before it works.

Why does the Agris Dingman breast dissector come in two lengths?

35 cm covers most pockets on an Agris Dingman. The 40 cm extra long build is for the far edge of a large pocket, where the standard length runs out before the dissection does.

Does the Agris Dingman come as a left and right pair?

Yes. The Agris Dingman tip is supplied left curved, right curved, or as a set of two. The curve is handed so the working face stays flat against the chest wall on whichever side you are operating.

Is a transaxillary breast dissector only for the axillary approach?

No. The same blunt end works through an inframammary incision. The length suits it to the axilla, not the shape of the tip.

How do you clean and sterilize an Agris Dingman dissector?

Rinse in cool water straight after use, clean with a soft brush and a neutral pH enzymatic detergent, rinse in deionized water, dry fully, then steam autoclave at 134 degrees Celsius. A long shaft bends easily in a crowded tray, so lay it flat.

Related products and categories

Surgeons who work with the Agris Dingman breast dissector usually compare it against the MacCollum Dingman breast dissector, the Silverstein breast dissector and the Reynolds transaxillary breast dissector. The whole family sits in dissectors and elevators, and this pattern is also listed under breast surgery instruments.