Sklar Ankeney Sternal Retractor, 3x3 Blades
A sternal retractor with 35mm by 32mm blades on a 7 by 11-1/2 inch frame, used to hold the sternum open during surgery. It supports procurement teams building or restocking specialty instrument sets.
The Sklar Ankeney Sternal Retractor is a self-retaining instrument used to hold the sternum open after a median sternotomy, providing the surgeon with the wide access to the chest cavity needed for cardiac and major thoracic procedures. Its 3x3 blade configuration, each blade measuring 35mm by 32mm, engages the divided sternal edges to distribute retraction force across a broader contact area, reducing the risk of localised bone stress compared with a narrower blade design.
The overall frame measures 7 by 11-1/2 inches, giving the retractor the span needed to hold a full sternotomy incision open throughout a lengthy cardiac procedure. Sternal retractors of this scale are essential equipment in any cardiac surgery programme, since virtually every open heart procedure requires stable, sustained chest wall retraction.
Cardiac surgery centres typically keep this type of retractor as a dedicated fixture within their sternotomy instrument set, often alongside a range of alternative blade sizes for different patient chest dimensions.
