Mammostat Breast Elevator, 28cm Breast Surgery Elevator

What the Mammostat breast elevator is

The Mammostat breast elevator is a hand instrument used to hold and lift the breast during surgery so the surgeon has both hands free. Surgeons also call it a Mammostat, a Mammostat retractor or a breast elevator for mammaplasty. It is made by Adas Instruments in high quality medical grade stainless steel, and it is reusable and fully autoclavable.

It is 28 cm and it is not a dissector. It is a frame that holds the breast in a lifted position and keeps it there, so the surgeon and the assistant both get their hands back and the tissue stops moving between steps.

The work a breast elevator does is the opposite of what a dissector does. A dissector opens a plane. An elevator opens nothing: it takes tissue that is already exposed, lifts it clear and holds it there under even pressure, so what lies underneath stays in view and stays still. The face that meets the tissue and the way the frame holds its position decide whether that lift is comfortable for an hour or a fight for five minutes.

Key design features of the Mammostat breast elevator

• Overall length 28 cm, about 11 in
• Holds and lifts the breast instead of opening a plane
• Broad curved face that spreads pressure rather than concentrating it
• Frees the assistant from holding tissue by hand through a long case
• Supplied in a black titanium coloring or a satin finish
• High quality medical grade stainless steel, reusable and autoclavable

The frame is finished rather than polished bright, which cuts glare under the lights in an operating room. There is no step where the handle meets the frame, so there is no shoulder to catch on the edge of an incision and nothing for protein to sit in after a case.

Mammostat elevator 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 Mammostat breast elevator by specialty

The Mammostat breast elevator appears on the same trays across these specialties because the job is the same one each time, holding the breast lifted and still so the surgeon works with both hands.

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 Mammostat breast elevator works in

A breast elevator handles no suture and no needle, and it cuts nothing. What decides whether it is the right instrument is which layer has to be held, how much of it there is, and for how long.

Even pressure is the part nobody writes down. Tissue held on a narrow edge for an hour marks, and a mark on a breast skin envelope is not a small thing. A broad face spreads the same lift across a wide area, which is the whole argument for a frame over a hand.

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

If you are building a breast tray from scratch, this is the one instrument on it that holds rather than works. Everything else on the tray opens, lifts or cuts a plane. One of these does the job an extra pair of hands would otherwise be doing.

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 frame that holds tissue is loaded for the whole case, and a grade that is too soft will slowly open under that load and stop holding its position. A grade that is too hard will crack where the frame bends. The grade used sits between the two.

Mammostat breast elevator 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.

Look at the frame before every case. It should sit square, the face that meets tissue should be smooth with no nick, and any opening in the frame should be clear. A frame that has been dropped is the one that stops holding its position halfway through 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 AP-110.01 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 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 Mammostat breast elevator used for?

It holds and lifts the breast during mammaplasty, augmentation and reconstructive procedures. Raising the gland clear of the chest wall puts the plane underneath in view, gives steady traction while a pocket is dissected, and takes the job of holding tissue away from an assistant.

Is a Mammostat a retractor or an elevator?

Catalogues file the Mammostat instrument under both, and buyers search for it both ways. It lifts tissue and holds it there, so it does an elevator job with a retractor grip. If you are searching a supplier catalogue, try both words.

How is it different from a breast dissector?

A dissector opens a tissue plane. A Mammostat opens nothing. It holds what has already been exposed, steady and under even pressure, so the surgeon can work with both hands.

What finishes is the Mammostat supplied in?

Two, a black titanium coloring and a satin finish. Both cut glare under operating lights. The black finish is the darker of the two and some surgeons prefer it against wet tissue.

How do you clean and sterilize a Mammostat?

Rinse in cool water straight after use, clean with a soft brush and a neutral pH enzymatic detergent, paying attention to any opening in the frame, rinse in deionized water, dry fully, then steam autoclave at 134 degrees Celsius.

Related products and categories

Surgeons who work with the Mammostat breast elevator usually compare it against the Solz atraumatic breast dissector, the Wieslander breast dissector and the Iconoclasts breast spreaders. The whole family sits in dissectors and elevators, and this pattern is also listed under breast surgery instruments.