Aufricht Nasal Retractor, Blunt Angled Blade

What the aufricht nasal retractor is

The aufricht nasal retractor lifts the nasal skin envelope off the framework underneath so the surgeon can see the cartilage and bone being worked on. In an open rhinoplasty that is the moment everything else depends on: until the envelope is off, the dorsum is being judged by feel.

The blade is blunt and angled downward. Blunt, because the tissue on the other side of it is mucosa that tears if an edge is pressed into it, and angled, because the retractor has to reach over the rim of the nostril and then turn down into the tunnel beyond it.

It holds and nothing more. It does not cut, it does not grasp, and it stays in an assistant hand for as long as the exposure is wanted.

Key design features of the aufricht nasal retractor

Four features, and all of them are about holding a thin flap without damaging it.

• Blunt blade. No edge anywhere on the working face, because the far side of the flap is mucosa.
• Downward angle. Carries the blade over the rim and into the tunnel in one movement.
• Even tension. A flat blade spreads the pull across the whole flap rather than loading one point.
• Grooved handle. Holds in a wet glove through a long exposure.

Aufricht nasal retractor patterns

Two patterns exist and both are ours. The chart below sets them side by side.

Our own record for this pattern carries no length or blade figure, so none is stated here. Competitor listings quote figures of their own and none of them is repeated on this page, because a number the workshop cannot stand behind is worse than no number at all. Ask and it will be measured.

Aufricht retractor uses by specialty

Buyers search aufricht retractor uses more than any other question on this pattern, so the table answers it specialty by specialty.

What the blade holds, and what it does not

A retractor that holds a flap over mucosa has real limits, and they are worth stating plainly.

How the aufricht retractor compares with other nasal retractors

Four of the rows below are our own nasal retractors, and the aufricht retractor sits at the broad exposure end of that run.

Materials and finish

Made from high quality medical grade stainless steel, satin finished so the operating light does not reflect off the blade into the eye, which matters in a field this small. The steel itself is made to a German specification. The blade edge is rolled rather than left square, because the whole argument for this instrument is that nothing on it cuts.

Care and sterilization of a nasal retractor

Clean with a soft brush under running water, paying attention to the junction of blade and handle where tissue collects, then rinse in deionized water and dry fully before autoclaving. Store flat so nothing rests across the blade. A nasal retractor that has been bent no longer sits flat against the flap, and a blade that loads on one corner is exactly what tears a mucosal flap, so check it against a flat surface before it goes back into the set.

Ordering, surgical retractor types and wholesale

Adas Instruments makes this pattern to order, plain or fiber optic. Buyers comparing surgical retractor types should know this is a handheld nasal retractor rather than a self retaining one, so it needs an assistant and it comes out the moment the exposure is done. We supply hospitals, surgical centers and distributors across the United States, Latin America, Europe and Asia, 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 an aufricht nasal retractor used for?

Lifting the nasal skin envelope off the framework during an open rhinoplasty, and holding it there while the dorsum, the cartilages or the septum are worked on. It is also used in septoplasty, in dorsal hump reduction and during osteotomies, wherever the job is to see the nasal framework rather than feel for it.

What instruments are used in nasal surgery?

A nasal set is built around exposure, cutting and shaping. Exposure is retractors such as this one, the Cottle for the ala and the Neivert for the vestibule. Cutting and shaping is knives, osteotomes, rasps and scissors, and holding is septum forceps and fine skin hooks. The retractor is the instrument the rest of the set depends on, because nothing else can be done until the field is open.

Which instrument is a retractor?

Any instrument whose job is to hold tissue out of the line of work rather than cut or grasp it. They divide into handheld retractors, which an assistant holds, and self retaining retractors, which lock open on their own frame. Every nasal retractor on this page is handheld.

What are the different types of surgical retractors?

By how they are held, handheld or self retaining. By what they end in, a blade, a hook or a ring. And by the field they are cut for, which is why a nasal retractor is short and narrow and an abdominal retractor is neither. The Aufricht is a handheld blade retractor made for the nose.

What is the difference between an Aufricht and a Cottle retractor?

How much they hold. The Aufricht lifts the whole skin envelope off the dorsum for broad exposure. The Cottle alar holds the ala and the nostril margin back for a localized view into the alar pocket. On an open approach take the Aufricht; on alar work take the Cottle.

Related products and categories

Buyers who order the aufricht nasal retractor usually order alongside it the aufricht nasal retractor fiber optic, the maliniac nasal retractor and the neivert nasal retractor. The whole family sits in hooks and retractors, and this pattern is also listed under rhinoplasty instruments.