Sternal retractor
A ratcheted retractor with two blades that open gradually and hold the two halves of the sternum apart after a median sternotomy.
How it is used
It provides exposure of the mediastinum and the heart during coronary revascularization, valve surgery, and other procedures performed through a median sternotomy.
Clinical tip
Not to be confused with the Finochietto retractor, which spreads the intercostal space in lateral thoracotomies rather than the sternum.
Sources
This entry is part of the Instriq catalog, researched and written per specialty from real web research -- never generated or invented without verification -- and reviewed skeptically and independently before publication. How this catalog is written.
History
Added to the catalog on 2026-10-02.
Dates derived from the project's public version-control history on GitHub, not a live collaborative edit log.