Joseph Masing Septum Elevator, Periosteal Elevator, Double Ended

What the Joseph Masing septum elevator is

The Joseph masing septum elevator is a hand instrument used to separate soft tissue from cartilage and bone inside the nose and over the facial skeleton. Surgeons also call it a Joseph Masing periosteal elevator, a Joseph Masing elevator or a Masing double ended elevator. It is made by Adas Instruments in high quality medical grade stainless steel, and it is reusable and fully autoclavable.

It carries a working end at each end of one shaft, and it is filed under two names because the same blade raises a septal mucoperichondrial flap and also lifts periosteum off bone.

The work an elevator does is always the same in principle. A layer of soft tissue is stuck to the cartilage or bone under it, and it has to come off in one sheet without a hole in it. Get that right and the rest of the case has a dry field and a flap that will lie back down. That is why the shape of the working end and the stiffness of the blade decide which pattern a surgeon picks up.

Key design features of the Joseph Masing septum elevator

• A working end at each end of one shaft, so the instrument is turned rather than swapped
• Slender ends for the septum and a blade stiff enough to take periosteum off bone
• Blunt working ends that separate a plane instead of dividing it
• Listed under both names because the pattern does both jobs on the same tray
• Flat knurled handle that shows the blade angle by feel
• High quality medical grade stainless steel, reusable and autoclavable

The handle is flat and knurled rather than round. A flat handle tells you where the blade is facing without looking at it, and the knurling holds when a glove is wet. The shaft runs straight into the blade with no step, so there is no shoulder to catch on the rim of a nostril and nothing for protein to sit in after a case.

Joseph Masing elevator sizes and build options

The build below is the one we ship. Overall length is confirmed on the quotation rather than printed here, because this pattern is made to order for OEM runs and the shaft length is set by the run.

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 size is a tooling change rather than a new instrument.

Uses of the Joseph Masing septum elevator by specialty

The Joseph Masing septum elevator appears on the same trays across these specialties because the job is the same one each time, lifting a tissue plane cleanly off what lies under it.

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 Joseph Masing septum elevator works in

An elevator handles no suture and no needle. What decides the choice of pattern is the plane it has to open and how much force that plane takes.

Force is the part nobody writes down. Perichondrium on young cartilage lifts with almost nothing, while mucoperiosteum on bone needs a firm push and a stiff blade behind it. Match the blade to the plane and the instrument does the work instead of your wrist.

How the Joseph Masing septum elevator compares with other patterns

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

Surgeons who use this pattern usually also hold the Masing septum elevator, the Joseph periosteal elevator and the Freer septum elevator. The closest relative in the range is the Masing septum elevator. Where the plane runs onto facial bone the Dingman zygomatic elevator and the Read periosteal elevator take over.

If you are building a tray from scratch, the usual answer is two elevators rather than one. Something light for cartilage and something stiffer for bone 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. An elevator is levered, and a levered instrument that is too hard will crack at the neck while one that is too soft will take a set and stay bent. The grade used sits between the two.

Joseph masing septum elevator 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 in the tray so the blades do not rest against other instruments, because a bruised edge on an elevator is what tears a flap.

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 a working edge should still sit flat on bone. An elevator that has been dropped on a tiled floor is the one that buttonholes a flap 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 ADR-150.22 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.

Frequently asked questions

What is a Joseph Masing elevator used for?

It raises the mucoperichondrial and mucoperiosteal flaps off the nasal septum in septoplasty and rhinoplasty, and the same blade lifts periosteum off the nasal dorsum and the facial bones. That double duty is why the pattern is catalogued as both a septum elevator and a periosteal elevator.

Why is it called both a septum elevator and a periosteal elevator?

Because the working end suits both planes. A septal flap wants a slender blunt end and periosteum over bone wants enough stiffness behind it, and this pattern is built to sit between the two, so a Joseph Masing periosteal elevator and a Joseph Masing septum elevator are the same instrument under two catalogue names.

Is the Joseph Masing elevator double ended?

Yes. This build is a Masing double ended elevator, with a working end at each end of one shaft, so the surgeon turns it in the hand rather than putting it down.

How is it different from the plain Masing septum elevator?

The plain Masing pattern carries a 5 mm blade at each end and is chosen for broad elevation deep in the septum. The Joseph Masing build has more slender ends, which is what lets it work the cartilage plane as well as the bone.

How do you clean and sterilize a Joseph Masing elevator?

Rinse it in cool water straight after use, clean with a soft brush and a neutral pH enzymatic detergent, rinse in deionized water and dry it fully, then steam autoclave at 134 degrees Celsius.

Related products and categories

Surgeons who work with the Joseph Masing septum elevator usually compare it against the Masing septum elevator, the Joseph periosteal elevator and the Freer septum elevator. The whole family sits in dissectors and elevators, and this pattern is also listed under rhinoplasty instruments.