Iconoclasts Breast Spreaders, 22cm and 29cm Blunt Blade

What the Iconoclasts breast spreaders is

The Iconoclasts breast spreaders is a hand instrument used to spread breast tissue apart and hold it open so the plane underneath can be seen. Surgeons also call it an Iconoclast breast spreader, a breast tissue spreader or a blunt blade breast spreader. It is made by Adas Instruments in high quality medical grade stainless steel, and it is reusable and fully autoclavable.

Iconoclasts are worked like a pair of scissors in reverse. Squeezing the handles drives the Iconoclasts blades apart, so hand grip becomes outward pressure inside the breast.

A spreader is the only instrument on a breast tray that works by pushing outward from the inside. A dissector opens a plane along its length. A spreader takes a plane that is already open and widens it, holding both sides apart so the surgeon can see into it and reach through it. The blades have to be blunt, because they are pressed against vascular tissue for minutes at a time, and the mechanism has to hold its position without being held.

Key design features of the Iconoclasts breast spreaders

• Two sizes, 29 cm long with a 145 mm blade and 22 cm long with an 83 mm blade
• Scissor action levered design, so squeezing the handles spreads the blades
• Blunt straight blades with smooth edges, which is what keeps vascular tissue intact
• Uses grip strength instead of outward push, so the hand tires less across a long case
• Widens and raises the pocket in submuscular and subglandular placement
• High quality medical grade stainless steel, reusable and autoclavable

The finish is satin rather than polished bright, which cuts glare under the lights in an operating room. The joint is the part that decides how long the instrument lasts, so it is finished clean with nothing for protein to sit in, and it should be worked and inspected before every case.

Iconoclasts spreader 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 change of length or blade width is a tooling change rather than a new instrument.

Uses of the Iconoclasts breast spreaders by specialty

The Iconoclasts breast spreaders 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. They are looking for the same instrument.

Tissue planes the Iconoclasts breast spreaders works in

A breast spreader handles no suture and no needle, and it cuts nothing. What decides whether it is the right instrument is how wide the plane has to be held and for how long.

Even pressure is the part nobody writes down. Tissue held apart on a narrow edge for minutes marks, and breast tissue bleeds when it is marked. Blunt blades spread the same load across their whole length, which is the whole argument for this pattern over a pair of retractors held by hand.

How the Iconoclasts breast spreaders 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 Mammostat breast elevator, the Wieslander breast dissector and the spatulated blade breast dissector. The closest relative in the range is the Mammostat breast elevator.

If you are building a breast tray from scratch, a spreader is not a substitute for a dissector and a dissector is not a substitute for a spreader. One opens the plane, the other holds it open. Most trays carry both, and the spreader is the one that gets forgotten.

Materials and finish

The instrument is made in high quality medical grade stainless steel. The steel itself is made to a German specification. The working face is ground and satin finished, which cuts glare under the lights in an operating room and keeps the 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 levered instrument is loaded every time it is squeezed, and a grade that is too soft will slowly spring out of true at the joint. A grade that is too hard will crack there instead. The grade used sits between the two.

Iconoclasts breast spreaders care and sterilization

Rinse the instrument in cool water straight after use so blood does not dry on it. 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 it, because an instrument loaded sideways in a crowded tray is the one that comes back out of true.

Work the joint and look at the blades before every case. They should meet evenly and part evenly, the edges should be smooth with no nick, and there should be no play at the joint. A spreader that has sprung is the one that stops holding its position in the middle of a case, 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-12.08 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. Tell us the quantity and the marking you need and the quotation comes back with the lead time for that run.

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

Frequently asked questions

What is an Iconoclast breast spreader used for?

It separates and spreads breast tissue so the surgeon can see and reach the plane underneath. In augmentation it widens and raises the implant pocket, in reduction and reconstruction it holds tissue back while deep tissue is removed, and in mastopexy it gives exposure during internal reshaping.

How does the scissor action work?

The two blades are levered against each other, so squeezing the handles drives them apart. That turns the natural grip of the hand into outward pressure inside the breast, which is both stronger and steadier than pushing with the arm.

Which size should I order, 22 cm or 29 cm?

29 cm with the 145 mm blade is the large build and suits a deep or wide pocket. 22 cm with the 83 mm blade is the small build for shorter incisions and tighter spaces. Many trays carry both Iconoclasts.

Are the blades sharp?

No. Both Iconoclasts blades are blunt with smooth edges, which is the whole design. Breast tissue is vascular, and a blade that can cut or tear it is a bleeding risk on an instrument whose only job is to hold things apart.

How do you clean and sterilize breast spreaders?

Rinse in cool water straight after use, clean with a soft brush and a neutral pH enzymatic detergent paying attention to the joint, rinse in deionized water, dry fully, then steam autoclave at 134 degrees Celsius. Work the Iconoclasts joint before each case and check that the blades still meet and part evenly.

Related products and categories

Surgeons who work with the Iconoclasts breast spreaders usually compare it against the Mammostat breast elevator, the Wieslander breast dissector and the spatulated blade breast dissector. It sits beside the spatulated blade breast dissector, the oval spatulated blade breast dissector and the angulated blade breast dissector on the same tray. The whole family sits in dissectors and elevators, and this pattern is also listed under breast surgery instruments.