Senn Retractor

What This Collection Covers

• Senn retractor, 6-1/4" — double-ended, blunt prongs
• Senn-Green retractor, 5 1/2" — 1/4" x 3/4" blade
• Senn-Green retractor, 5 1/2" — 1/4" x 3/8" blade

Why Double-Ended?

The two ends solve the two problems a shallow wound presents. The rake end holds skin and subcutaneous tissue at the wound edge, gripping where a smooth blade would slide. The blade end holds tissue that a prong would tear — or gives you a flat surface to press against a structure you must not perforate.

In a hand or a neck the field changes character every few millimetres, and stopping to swap instruments costs more than the turn of a wrist. That is the whole argument for the pattern, and it is why the Senn outlives fashions in instrument design.

How to Choose

Blunt or sharp prongs. Blunt is the default for skin and anywhere near vessels, nerves or tendon. Sharp prongs grip dense fascia that blunt prongs slide off, and are chosen deliberately rather than by habit.

Blade size. On the Senn-Green patterns the blade dimensions are the difference: 1/4" x 3/4" gives a deeper hold, 1/4" x 3/8" a shallower one for very superficial work.

Length. 5 1/2" and 6-1/4" are both short by design. This is not a deep-field instrument — for anything beyond a few centimetres, a Deaver or a self-retaining retractor is the right tool.

How many. Senns are normally used in pairs, one on each side of the wound. Ordering two of a size is more useful than one each of two sizes.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a Senn retractor used for?
Retracting skin and subcutaneous tissue in shallow fields — hand and wrist surgery, plastics, thyroid procedures, skin excisions and minor surgery generally.

What is the difference between Senn and Senn-Green?
Senn-Green is a variant of the same double-ended pattern, listed here by blade dimensions at 5 1/2". Order by prong type and blade size rather than by name.

Is a Senn retractor sharp or blunt?
Both exist. The 6-1/4" pattern here is blunt. Sharp-prong versions grip tougher tissue but will perforate delicate structures.

How is it different from a Volkmann rake?
Scale and the second end. The Senn is short and double-ended for shallow work; the Volkmann is a larger single-ended rake for holding a full wound edge in a deeper field.

Do you supply these individually or as sets?
Individually — every instrument here can be ordered on its own, and they are usually ordered in pairs. Send us your list for a full set and our team will quote it line by line, with bulk pricing for distributors and hospital procurement.

Related categories: surgical retractors, rake retractors, Volkmann instruments and hand-held retractors.