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This page describes products and general use; it is not medical advice.
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A Frazier suction tip is a thin, hand-held surgical suction instrument: a narrow tube with a small opening on the handle that the user covers or uncovers to control suction. It clears fluid or blood from small, confined surgical spaces. This page is for clinic staff, buyers and students who need to read a Frazier listing or product record correctly.
What is a Frazier suction tip?
The University of Iowa’s ophthalmology teaching site describes the Frazier suction tip as “a thin instrument used for the removal of fluid or debris from confined surgical spaces”, with suction “controlled by a small opening on the handle” (University of Iowa, checked 2026-10-30). The same page says it is used where blood may obscure the surgical field, citing dacryocystorhinostomy and orbital fracture repair as examples.
Who uses it: surgical teams working in small operative fields, and the staff who stock, count and dispose of the instrument.
Frazier suction tube, tip or cannula: the same thing?
Largely yes. The Global Medical Device Nomenclature (GMDN) term used in the FDA’s AccessGUDID record for a Frazier product is “Surgical/emergency suction cannula, non-illuminating, single-use” (GMDN code 35917). Its definition notes the device is “sometimes referred to as a suction tube or tip” and “may incorporate a handle with side valve(s)/hole(s), and may be provided with a stylet, sheath, and/or connection tubing” (AccessGUDID, checked 2026-10-30). So “Frazier suction tip” and “Frazier suction tube” are common names for the same instrument class, while a catalogue may file it as a suction cannula.
How it is built
- Tube: the GMDN definition describes a single-lumen, rigid or semi-rigid tube used as a conduit for aspiration of body cavities, wounds or surgical sites.
- Control vent: a small opening on the handle; suction is controlled with it (Iowa; the AccessGUDID record lists a “control vent”).
- Stylet or obturator: Iowa describes a thin wire (stylet) that is supplied with the suction tube. The AccessGUDID record for one product describes an “obturator” supplied with the tip.
- Connection: the instrument connects to a vacuum source; the FDA product code listed for the record below is GCX, “Apparatus, suction, operating-room, wall vacuum powered”.
Types and variants
| Variant | What the source says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Single-use sterile Frazier with soft tip, control vent and obturator | Conmed “FRAZIER Atraumatic Soft Tip Suction Instrument with Control Vent and Obturator”, catalogue 0031100; single-use; supplied sterile, ethylene oxide listed as the sterilization method; prescription use; 20 per box | AccessGUDID, device 10653405000082 |
| Generic suction cannula class | Single-use, non-illuminating cannula, no light source or fibreoptic bundle; may include a stylet, sheath or connection tubing | GMDN 35917 definition in AccessGUDID |
| Tip-size variants | “There are multiple tip sizes available”; an 8 Fr tip is the example shown | University of Iowa |
Sizes and what French means
Frazier tips are sized on the French (Fr) scale. Iowa defines it as three times the diameter in millimetres, so the outer diameter in millimetres is the French size divided by three.
| Size | Outer diameter (calculated from the French rule) | Where the size comes from |
|---|---|---|
| 7 Fr | about 2.3 mm | AccessGUDID lists “7 French Outer Diameter” for catalogue 0031100 |
| 8 Fr | about 2.7 mm | Iowa’s example, “Frazier Suction Tip 8Fr” |
The millimetre figures are arithmetic from the stated rule, not manufacturer-measured values.
How to read a Frazier product record
The fields below are the ones a regulator database record gives for the product above, and what each tells you.
| Record field | Value for catalogue 0031100 | What it tells you |
|---|---|---|
| Single use | Yes | The manufacturer labels it as a single-use device |
| Sterile | Yes; ethylene oxide listed | Supplied sterile |
| Prescription use | Yes | Labelled for prescription use |
| Premarket exempt | Yes | Marked premarket exempt in the record |
| Storage temperature | 50 to 90 degrees F (10 to 32 degrees C) | Labelled storage range |
| Natural rubber latex | Record answers “No” both to “required to be labeled as containing natural rubber latex” and to “labeled as not made with natural rubber latex” | The record makes no latex-free claim; check the instructions for use |
Other manufacturers’ Frazier-type tips can differ on every field above. Check the instructions for use for the exact catalogue number you handle.
Safe use and handling basics
- Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for use for the exact product; this page does not replace them.
- A device labelled single-use is intended for one patient and one procedure, so a single-use record should not be treated as reusable stock.
- Store within the labelled temperature range on the record.
Common mistakes
- Reading French size as millimetres. 7 Fr is about 2.3 mm, not 7 mm.
- Assuming every Frazier is single-use. The record above is single-use; confirm each product’s labelling.
- Treating Frazier and Yankauer as interchangeable. They are different suction instruments; compare them in our Yankauer suction tip guide.
Related instrument guides
A Frazier tip is one entry among many hand instruments. See the plastic surgery instruments overview, the neurosurgical instruments overview, the ENT surgical instruments overview, and, for where suctioned fluid goes, the suction canister guide.
FAQ
What is a Frazier suction tip?
A thin, hand-held suction instrument with a small vent on the handle that controls suction, used to remove fluid or debris from confined surgical spaces (University of Iowa).
Is a Frazier suction tube the same as a Frazier suction tip?
The names are used for the same instrument class. GMDN, the nomenclature used in AccessGUDID, files the device under “Surgical/emergency suction cannula, non-illuminating, single-use” and notes it is sometimes called a suction tube or tip.
What does the Fr number on a Frazier tip mean?
It is the French size, three times the diameter in millimetres, so divide by three for the approximate outer diameter: 7 Fr is about 2.3 mm.
Is a Frazier suction tip single-use and sterile?
The Conmed record 0031100 in AccessGUDID is labelled single-use and supplied sterile. Other products can differ, so check the labelling for the catalogue number you handle.
Sources
- AccessGUDID, National Library of Medicine, device record 10653405000082 (FRAZIER, Conmed Corporation) and GMDN term 35917: https://accessgudid.nlm.nih.gov/devices/10653405000082, checked 2026-10-30.
- University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, “Frazier Suction Tip 8Fr #2” (page last updated 2017-03-14): https://webeye.ophth.uiowa.edu/eyeforum/tutorials/instruments/Oculoplastics/OculoplasticTray/frazier-suction-tip.htm, checked 2026-10-30.
