Nasal Forceps

Types of nasal forceps

Septum forceps

Septum forceps grasp and remove septal cartilage and bone in septoplasty and submucous resection once the mucosal flaps are raised. Patterns differ in the jaw: sideways-bent cupped (Craig-Dominick), fenestrated oval cups (Bruening), rounded grooved (Lewis), serrated (Blakesley septum) and a long serrated tungsten carbide platform (Tebbetts). Jansen-Middleton forceps are double-action: through-cutting jaws incise, cup jaws grip.

Through-cutting and cup forceps

Through-cutting (conchotome) forceps cut by passing one jaw through the other on the septum, turbinates and maxillary sinus area — Schmeden, Gruenwald, Gruenwald-Henke, Hartmann and Weil-Blakesley forceps. Cup forceps such as Takahashi forceps remove polyps, ethmoid partitions and mucosa and take biopsies in endoscopic sinus surgery; suction versions add a channel.

Polyp and turbinate forceps

Polyp forceps grasp and pull polyps free — Watson-Williams (non-cutting) and Lubet-Barbon (smooth jaws); Knight and Struycken turbinate forceps excise turbinate mucosa.

Straightening forceps

Walsham forceps reduce and disimpact the nasal bones, one blade inside the nostril and one outside; Asch forceps reduce the displaced septum between two long blades; Cottle-Walsham is a straight one-piece version.

Cartilage and bone forceps for rhinoplasty

Cottle-Kazanjian forceps resect the bony nasal hump after the cartilaginous dorsum is lowered; Aiach-Gubisch forceps hold multilayer cartilage grafts for suturing; cartilage graspers, the Gorney septal morselizer, punches and nasal rongeurs complete the group.

Nasal dressing forceps

Tilley forceps place anterior nasal packing and are angled to keep the hand out of the line of sight; Hartmann is the delicate model, Westmacott the long one, and Knight and Noyes complete the group. Dressing forceps also remove packs, crusts and foreign bodies.

How to choose nasal forceps

• Task. Grasp and remove (septum, cup), cut (through-cutting), pull (polyp), reduce (Asch, Walsham), pack (dressing).
• Jaw. Cup size and shape, serrated or tungsten carbide platform, cutting or non-cutting.
• Action. Single-action, or double-action (compound) joints for more force at short jaws.
• Suction. Takahashi and Weil-Blakesley suction versions clear the field while working.

What are nasal forceps used for?

Septoplasty and submucous resection, rhinoplasty hump and graft work, turbinate reduction, functional endoscopic sinus surgery and polypectomy, nasal fracture reduction, and anterior nasal packing.

How BusinessMed nasal forceps are made

German stainless steel with a satin, non-reflective finish; tungsten carbide jaws where the product name says so. Reusable, autoclavable, 5-year warranty.