Guthrie Skin Hook, Double Prong, Sharp or Blunt

What the guthrie skin hook is

The guthrie skin hook is a handheld retractor used to grab, lift and move a delicate skin flap so the structures beneath it can be worked on. What sets the pattern apart is that it carries two prongs rather than one, and the two prongs are the whole argument for it.

A single point holds, but the tissue can turn around it and can slip off it. Two points cannot do either, because the pull is shared and the edge stays square. On an eyelid margin, where the skin is thin enough to tear under one prong, that difference decides whether the instrument is usable at all.

Both sharp and blunt versions are made. Sharp prongs take a firmer hold on subcutaneous tissue; blunt prongs hold without piercing, which is what fragile skin needs. The choice is made by the tissue in front of you and not by preference.

Key design features of the guthrie skin hook

Four features, and every one of them follows from having two prongs instead of one.

• Two prongs. Even tension across two points of purchase, so the tissue is held rather than pivoted.
• Sharp or blunt ends. Two instruments in one pattern. The blunt end prong is the one that makes atrophic and eyelid skin workable.
• Fine gauge throughout. Built for oculoplastic and facial fields, not for general retraction.
• Flat working end. The prongs sit in the same plane, so both engage at once instead of one catching first.

Guthrie skin hook options and what each is for

One pattern, two tip choices. The chart below is the ordering answer, and the tip is chosen at the point of order.

Our own record carries the tip options and not an overall length, so no length is stated here. Where a figure matters to a set list, ask before ordering and it will be measured rather than guessed. That is a deliberate choice: a number on a page that the workshop cannot stand behind is worse than no number at all.

Guthrie skin hook uses by specialty

The pattern turns up wherever the skin is thin and the field is small.

What the double skin hook holds, and what it does not

A double skin hook is chosen for tissue that one prong would damage, so the limits are worth stating plainly.

How the guthrie skin hook compares with other patterns

Three of the rows below are our own hooks, and the rest are the instruments buyers weigh against a guthrie double skin hook.

Guthrie skin hook materials and finish

Made from high quality medical grade stainless steel, satin finished so the operating light does not reflect off the shank. The steel itself is made to a German specification. The prongs are hardened at the tips, because two fine points are the part of this instrument that wears, and the working end is set so both prongs meet the tissue at the same moment.

Care and sterilization of a double prong skin hook

Clean with a soft brush under running water, working between the two prongs where tissue collects and is easy to miss, then rinse in deionized water and dry fully before autoclaving. Store so nothing rests on the working end. If the prongs are pushed out of line they stop engaging together, and a double prong skin hook with one prong leading is a single prong hook with a hazard attached. Check the pair against each other before the instrument goes back into the set.

Ordering guthrie skin hooks and wholesale

Adas Instruments makes this pattern to order with sharp or blunt prongs, and supplies hospitals, surgical centers and distributors across the United States, Latin America, Europe and Asia. Bulk and wholesale pricing is available where guthrie skin hooks are ordered by the set, 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 are guthrie skin hooks used for?

Holding and lifting delicate skin flaps and margins, most often in oculoplastic, plastic and ENT surgery. The two prongs give even traction, so the instrument is chosen wherever the tissue is thin enough that a single point would tear it.

What is the function of the hook in a skin hook?

To take hold of tissue on a point and keep it out of the line of work. A hook holds from one side only, unlike a forceps that grips between two blades, and that is what makes it the atraumatic choice on skin that is going back into the closure.

What is a hook in medical terms?

Any instrument with a curved working end used to lift, retract or engage a structure. In surgery the family includes skin hooks for skin and flaps, nerve hooks for lifting a nerve clear, and tenaculum patterns for heavier tissue. All of them hold on a point rather than by squeezing.

How do skin hooks work?

The prong is passed through or under the tissue edge and then the handle is drawn back, so the load sits in the bend of the hook and not on the point. The tissue is held by geometry rather than by pressure, which is why it can be held for the length of a dissection without a crush mark being left behind.

Is the guthrie double skin hook sharp or blunt?

Both are made and the choice is yours at the point of order. Sharp prongs are for a firm hold on subcutaneous tissue and on skin with substance to it. Blunt prongs are for fragile and atrophic sites, and on an eyelid that choice is usually the blunt one.

Related products and categories

Buyers who order the guthrie skin hook usually order alongside it the joseph skin hook, the kleinert kutz skin hook and the mccoy micro dermal single hook. The whole family sits in hooks and retractors, and this pattern is also listed under blepharoplasty instruments.