Kleinert Kutz Dissector, Double Ended

What the Kleinert Kutz dissector is

The Kleinert kutz dissector is a hand instrument used to separate and lift fine soft tissue and periosteum. Surgeons also call it a Kleinert Kutz elevator and dissector, a Kleinert Kutz elevator dissector or a double ended elevator dissector. It is made by Adas Instruments in high quality medical grade stainless steel, and it is reusable and fully autoclavable.

It is a fine double ended pattern built for hand and upper extremity work, where the planes are small and a heavier blade would open them too far.

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 Kleinert Kutz dissector

• Fine double ended pattern, a working end at each end of one shaft
• Built for the small planes of hand and upper extremity surgery
• Blunt edges that separate tissue rather than dividing it
• Slim profile that fits a field a finger wide
• Flat knurled handle in the middle so both ends sit the same way
• 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.

Kleinert Kutz 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 Kleinert Kutz dissector by specialty

The Kleinert Kutz dissector 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 Kleinert Kutz dissector 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 Kleinert Kutz dissector compares with other patterns

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

Surgeons who use this pattern usually also hold the Kleinert Kutz elevator dissector, the Read periosteal elevator and the Joseph periosteal elevator. The closest relative in the range is the Kleinert Kutz elevator dissector.

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.

Kleinert kutz 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 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 AN-58.08 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 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 a Kleinert Kutz dissector used for?

It separates and lifts fine soft tissue and periosteum in hand and upper extremity surgery. The planes in a finger or a palm are small, and this pattern is built thin enough to open one without carrying it further than intended.

Is it an elevator or a dissector?

Both, which is why catalogues list it as a Kleinert Kutz elevator and dissector. The same blunt end lifts periosteum off a small bone and separates a fascial plane, and that dual use is the point of the pattern.

Is it double ended?

Yes. This is a double ended elevator dissector with a working end at each end of one shaft, so the surgeon turns it rather than reaching for a second instrument in a small field.

What is the difference between this and the other Kleinert Kutz build we list?

They are the two builds in the same family, item codes AN-58.08 and AN-58.07. Tell us which code your preference card names and we will quote against it.

How do you clean and sterilize a Kleinert Kutz 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.

Related products and categories

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