Kleinert-Kutz tendon retrievers are among the most delicate instruments, easily capable of pulling tendons through narrow pulleys of the finger. Serpentine jaws as small as 2 mm at their widest point, are collared by a long and narrower, tubular shaft enabling these instruments to snake through tight places without becoming wedged in place.

Demands of the design do extract a price however for the remarkable performance of these extraordinary instruments. Transmission of operating forces involves intriguing geometry that adds to manufacturing cost. In addition, articulating the jaws through the narrow hollow lumen shaft in this delicate design extracts an efficiency toll such that clamping pressures can not be imposed as easily or powerfully as on the Carroll retrievers. To compensate, the 1x2 teeth have been reintroduced.

Buxton BioMedical offers these instruments in a choice of rigid or flexible shafts.

Hand & Footnotes, Vol. 1, No. 1