Senn Miller Retractor, Sharp or Blunt Prongs, Double Ended

What the senn miller retractor is

The senn miller retractor is two instruments on one handle, and choosing which end to use is most of what there is to know about it.

One end carries a three prong rake. The other carries a smooth L shaped blade set at a right angle. A flat handle runs between them. So an assistant holding a small wound open can turn the instrument over rather than put it down and pick up another one, and in a field the size of a hand or an eyelid that matters more than it sounds.

Then there is the second choice, and it is the one made at the order rather than on the table: our own record carries the rake with sharp prongs or with blunt end prongs. That single decision settles what the instrument may safely touch.

Key design features of this senn retractor

Four features, and the first two are the whole instrument.

• A three prong rake at one end. Several holds spread across a wound edge instead of one.
• A smooth L shaped blade at the other. For lifting a skin edge cleanly without engaging it.
• Sharp or blunt prongs. From our own record, and the choice that decides what it may touch.
• A flat central handle. Held like a pen rather than gripped, which is what a small field needs.

Senn miller retractor sizes and options

One row of this table is our own record and the table says which.

Our record carries the prong type and nothing else, so the overall length is the figure worth asking for before a bulk order. Other catalogs publish about 165 mm and a blade around 20 mm by 7 mm; neither is repeated here as ours.

Where a senn rake retractor is used

A senn rake retractor is a small field instrument, and the list below is wider than the category this page sits in.

Sharp prongs, blunt prongs, or the blade

Three working surfaces on one instrument, and each one is right for different tissue. This is the table to read before ordering.

How this double ended rake retractor compares with the rest of the family

Five of the six rows are instruments we make. For a double ended rake retractor the comparison that matters is the first one, against the Mini Langenbeck, because they cover the same small fields by opposite means.

Materials and finish

Made from high quality medical grade stainless steel, satin finished so the operating light does not come back off the blade face into a field that is already small. The steel itself is made to a German specification. On the blunt version each prong tip is rounded and polished on its own, which is slower than grinding a point and is the only thing that makes a blunt prong genuinely blunt rather than simply unfinished.

Care and sterilization

Clean with a soft brush under running water, working between the three prongs and into the inside corner of the blade where tissue lodges, then rinse in deionized water and dry fully before autoclaving. Store on a rack or under a tip guard. Keep the sharp and the blunt instruments apart in the tray: they are the same shape at a glance and they are not interchangeable, and a sharp rake reached for near a nerve is a real injury rather than an inconvenience.

Ordering and wholesale

Adas Instruments makes the senn miller retractor uses patterns to order and supplies hospitals, surgical centers and distributors across the United States, Latin America, Europe and Asia. Item code AP-40.01. State whether you want sharp prongs or blunt end prongs. Bulk and wholesale pricing is available, and instruments held on backorder ship in 10 to 12 working days. Every instrument carries a three year replacement warranty against manufacturing defects. Certifications: CE. Production is controlled under an ISO 13485 quality management system.

Frequently asked questions

What is a senn miller retractor used for?

Holding a small, shallow wound open so the surgeon can see into it. The rake end takes hold of a wound edge on three prongs, the blade end lifts a skin edge without engaging it, and between them they cover most of what a small field needs. It is used in plastic, hand, foot, dermatological and general surgery.

Is a senn miller retractor the same as a senn retractor?

Yes. Senn, Senn Miller and Senn Mueller are the same instrument under different catalog names, and Google introduces it as the Senn retractor. The double ended rake and blade pattern is what all of those names describe, so whichever one you searched for, this is the instrument.

Sharp prongs or blunt prongs on a senn miller retractor?

Sharp for dermis, tough subcutaneous fascia and dense tissue flaps, where a blunt prong slides off under load. Blunt for subcutaneous fat, delicate fascia and anything lying near a nerve or a vessel, where the only job is to hold and a point would add an injury. If you are not sure, say what tissue you are holding and we will say which.

What is the blade end for?

Lifting rather than gripping. A prong has to engage tissue to hold it, and there are places you do not want anything engaged at all: a thin skin edge, a flap you are about to close, a superficial muscle margin. The smooth L shaped blade takes those on a flat face and lets go cleanly.

How big is a senn miller retractor?

Small, and deliberately so. Our own record carries the prong type rather than a length, and other catalogs publish around 165 mm, which is roughly the length of a pen. Ask before a bulk order and it will be measured rather than repeated from somebody else.

Related products and categories

Buyers who order the senn miller retractor usually order alongside it the mini langenbeck retractor, the us army retractor and the insulated us army retractor. The whole family sits in hooks and retractors, and the finer patterns are also listed under micro surgery instruments.