Plester Self Retaining Left Solid Blade Retractors, Mastoid
$ 34.00
Plester self retaining left solid blade retractors are the left handed half of the asymmetric post aural pattern: the solid blade sits on the left arm and the fine prongs on the right. Which way round it goes is not a preference, it is decided by the ear and by where the surgeon stands, and a retractor built the wrong way round puts the blade where the prongs should be. It holds itself open through mastoid and micro otology work, so nobody spends the case holding it.
Key Features
- Solid flat blade on the LEFT arm, fine prongs on the right
- The blade keeps soft tissue and galea out of the opening
- The prongs hold skin and periosteum on the other margin
- Locks open where you set it and releases in one movement
- Ring handles, so it lies flat under an operating microscope
- Non glare satin finish, no reflection back up the objective
- Made to your list: say the prong form you need
- Item code ADE-363.11
Available on backorder
What a Plester self retaining left solid blade retractor is
A plester self retaining left solid blade retractor is the left handed version of the post aural retractor: a ring handled frame that locks itself open, carrying fine prongs on one arm and a solid flat blade on the other. The blade is on the left on this one, and that is the whole difference between it and its pair.
Handedness confuses buyers more than anything else about this pattern, so it is worth being plain. The instrument is not reversible. Catalogues list a left solid blade and a right solid blade as two products because they are two products, and the one you need is decided by the ear being operated on and by which side of the table the surgeon works from. We make both and we would rather be asked than guess.
Key design features
Why the blade is on the left
The two arms do different jobs, so the instrument has a handedness. Put the solid blade on the side where soft tissue wants to fall into the opening, and the prongs on the side where there is periosteum worth gripping. Behind the left ear, with the surgeon in the usual place, that puts the blade on the left. Order the other hand and you get the mirror image, and nothing else about the instrument changes.
The solid blade
It is a plain continuous blade with a rolled edge, not a wider prong. A prong holds a point and a blade holds a length, and soft tissue needs the length: anything that is held at two points will bulge between them. The blade is also what stops galea creeping over the bone once the field has been open twenty minutes.
The prongs on the right arm
Fine, close set and polished. Periosteum is tough enough to take a prong and nothing else on this margin is, so the prongs have to hold firmly without being so sharp that they go through. We grind them and then polish them by hand, because a burr on a prong tears what it is supposed to hold.
One piece, with nothing screwed on
Frame, arms, prongs and blade are made as one. There is no screwed on blade to come loose and no pinned carrier to work out of true, which matters on an instrument that is sprung open under load and then run through a washer several hundred times.
What to tell us when you order one
This product carries no size attribute on our site, so rather than print a length we hold no data for, here is what to tell us.
| What to tell us | Why it matters | If you do not know |
|---|---|---|
| This is the LEFT solid blade | The right solid blade is a separate product in most catalogues and in ours | Say which ear and where the surgeon stands |
| Prong form | Sharp holds tough superficial tissue, blunt is chosen near nerves | Blunt is the usual choice for post aural work |
| Working length | Long enough to span the opening, short enough to stay out of the microscope | Tell us the operation rather than a number |
| How many | A mastoid tray normally carries both hands | One of each to try |
| Your own item number | We mark an OEM run to your catalogue rather than ours | Leave it blank and the run carries our code |
Where it is used
One approach and the operations that use it. This is an ear instrument and it does not pretend to be a general tray retractor.
| Where it is used | What the retractor is doing there |
|---|---|
| Mastoidectomy | Holding the post aural opening with the flap behind the blade |
| Micro otology | Steady exposure under the microscope with nothing standing up in the way |
| Tympanoplasty | A small opening held still for an eardrum repair |
| Endaural approaches | Where the blade protects one margin of a short incision |
| Minor cranial burr holes | A shallow opening that has to stay open hands free |
What it holds, and what it must not pinch
A retractor that holds itself open holds whatever is in the prongs for the length of the case, which is why the second column matters.
| It holds | It must not pinch |
|---|---|
| Skin and periosteum, on the prong side | The facial nerve, which is close in this approach |
| Galea and soft tissue, behind the blade | The dura, where the plate is thin |
| The temporalis flap | External canal skin, which tears rather than stretches |
| A margin that would otherwise slump inward | The pinna, held by position not by prongs |
The parts of the instrument, named
Buyers ask what the parts of a mastoid retractor are called more often than they ask anything else about it, so here they are.
| Part | What it is | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Ring handles | Two flat finger rings on a scissor frame | Opens and closes the arms and keeps the instrument low |
| The lock | A catch between the two shanks | Holds the arms where you set them, releases in one movement |
| The hinge | A box joint at the center | Carries the load; this is the part that wears if it is not cleaned open |
| Prong arm | Fine close set prongs on one side | Grips skin and periosteum |
| Blade arm | A continuous rolled edge blade on the other | Holds soft tissue along a length |
Materials and finish
Every plester left solid blade retractor we make is cut from high quality medical grade stainless steel. The steel itself is made to a German specification. We do not publish a grade number, because the number on a certificate tells a surgeon nothing about whether the lock still holds after two hundred autoclave cycles, and the answer to that is in the teeth and the finish rather than in the alloy.
The blade edge is rolled rather than left square, which is the detail that decides whether soft tissue sits against it or creases over it. The lock teeth are cut and then hardened, because a lock that rounds off lets go under load. The finish is satin: a mirror polish on an instrument sitting directly under a microscope objective throws the light straight back at whoever is looking down it.
Caring for it
Open the arms fully before it goes near a washer. A self retaining retractor closed on itself traps blood in the lock teeth, and dried blood in a lock is why these instruments begin to slip. Brush the hinge and every tooth, then ultrasonic with a neutral pH enzymatic detergent.
Rinse in deionized water, dry fully with the arms still open, and autoclave at 134 degrees Celsius. Lubricate the hinge after drying, not before. Test the lock by opening it halfway and squeezing the arms together: it should not give. A lock that creeps is a retractor to retire, and we replace it inside the three years.
Ordering and wholesale
Every Plester left solid blade retractor we sell is made in our own workshop and sold direct, which is why the price sits where it does against the catalogue houses. Order one for a single tray, or in quantity for a hospital list or a distributor line; we do OEM work under your own brand and your own item numbers, and we will hold a run to your pattern rather than ours if you send a sample. Stock items ship from our own workshop. Backorder items take 10 to 12 working days to make. Every instrument carries a three year replacement warranty against manufacturing defects. Production is controlled under an ISO 13485 quality management system.
Frequently asked questions
What is a Plester left solid blade retractor used for?
Holding the incision behind the ear open, hands free, with the solid blade on the left margin and the prongs on the right. It is used for mastoidectomy, micro otology, tympanoplasty and endaural approaches. The blade side goes where soft tissue would otherwise fall into the opening.
Why is the blade on the left on a Plester retractor?
Because the two margins of a post aural incision are not the same tissue. One side has periosteum, which is tough and holds a prong well. The other has the muscle flap and galea, which a prong would simply tear through and which bulge between any two points of grip. A continuous blade holds a length instead of a point, so it keeps that margin flat.
What are the parts of a mastoid retractor?
Five, and they are in the table above: two flat ring handles, a box joint hinge at the center, a catch that locks the arms where you set them, and the two working arms, one carrying prongs and one carrying the solid blade. The hinge is the part that wears, and it wears because of what is left in it rather than because of use.
How many types of mastoid retractor are there?
In practice four get asked for by name: the Plester, which is this pattern and comes in both hands; the Wullstein, with prongs on both arms; the Jansen; and the Mollison. We make the Plester and the Wullstein, and we do not make the Jansen or the Mollison. There are also plain hand held mastoid rakes, which are a different instrument entirely because somebody has to hold them.
Do I need the left or the right Plester?
The ear and the surgeon position decide it, not preference. Behind the left ear with the surgeon in the usual place, the solid blade falls on the left, which is this product. For the mirror image ask us for the right solid blade. If you are stocking a tray from scratch, most departments carry one of each.
Related products and categories
For the post aural pattern with the blade on the other arm, see the Plester mastoid retractor. Where prongs are wanted on both arms in a shallow field, the Wullstein self retaining retractor is the compact choice, and the Belluci self retaining retractor is the smallest of the asymmetric patterns. The rest of the family sits in self retaining retractors, and the ear patterns are listed under ear instruments.
| Weight | 0.07 kg |
|---|
Be the first to review “Plester Self Retaining Left Solid Blade Retractors, Mastoid”
Shipping & Delivery Policy
Processing Time: In-stock items are dispatched within 24-48 hours. For custom or out-of-stock items, production time is approximately 10-15 days.
Global Delivery Estimates
We partner with world-class couriers (DHL, FedEx) to ensure fast, tracked delivery.
- USA & Canada: 3-5 Business Days
- Europe & UK: 4-6 Business Days
- Rest of World: 5-7 Business Days
*We offer Air Cargo and Sea Freight options for bulk wholesale orders.
Customs & Duties
International buyers are responsible for any customs duties or taxes imposed by their country. Adas Instruments is not responsible for delays caused by customs clearance.
Lost Packages & Insurance
If your package is lost in transit, please contact us immediately. We offer full support and replacements for confirmed lost shipments. Note: You must report non-delivery within 3 weeks to be eligible for an insurance claim.
Related products
Reviews
There are no reviews yet.