Alternative self-retaining retractors for head and neck surgery

ABSTRACT

Objective:To design affordable, easy-to-use self-retaining retractors that can provide adequate exposure of the operative area in head and neck surgery Methods: Design: Surgical Instrumentation Setting: Tertiary government hospital Subjects: One Results: Self-retaining retractors were designed and fabricated from stainless steel with tissue prongs on one end and a loop for rubber-band attachment to surgical drapes via a towel clip on the other end. Varying prong lengths were devised for different depths of required retraction. Traction tension could be adjusted by varying rubber-band attachment distance. The retractors were tested on a patient undergoing open reduction and internal fixation for a mandibular fractureand evaluated according to ease of application, adequacy of exposure and tissue trauma. Conclusion: The self-retaining retractors may be affordable alternatives to commercially-available self-retaining retractors. They are easily applied with adjustable tension and depth of retraction that can provide adequate exposure with minimal tissue trauma.