A rib spreader, also known as Finochietto retractor, is a type of
retractor specifically designed to separate
rib
In vertebrate anatomy, ribs ( la, costae) are the long curved bones which form the rib cage, part of the axial skeleton. In most tetrapods, ribs surround the chest, enabling the lungs to expand and thus facilitate breathing by expanding the ch ...
s in
thoracic surgery.
Rack-and-pinion-type stainless steel rib spreaders (with a thumb-screw to lock it in place) were an innovation introduced by French surgeon Theodore Truffier in 1914. This was modified in 1936 by Argentinian surgeon
Enrique Finochietto to have
fenestrated
A fenestra (fenestration; plural fenestrae or fenestrations) is any small opening or pore, commonly used as a term in the biological sciences. It is the Latin word for "window", and is used in various fields to describe a pore in an anatomical ...
blades (blades with "windows") and a hand-cranked lever to both separate the arms in a staged fashion and lock them in place at each stop. The Burford–Finochietto rib spreader has replaceable blades. The Tuffier and especially the Burford–Finochietto (and its variants) are ubiquitous in open thoracic surgery. Recently, a new intelligent, automated rib spreader in development demonstrated results superior to the Finochietto-style retractors.
See also
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Instruments used in general surgery
There are many different Surgery, surgical specialties, some of which require very specific kinds of Surgical instrument, surgical instruments to perform.
General surgery is a specialty focused on the Abdomen, abdominal contents, as well as the ...
References
Surgical instruments
Argentine inventions
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