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This page describes products and general use; it is not medical advice.
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A Kittner sponge (also called a Kittner dissector) is a small, firm sponge used in surgery for blunt tissue dissection. It belongs to the GMDN class of dissection sponges. Surgical teams, central-supply staff and buyers look for it by name, and the product records for different Kittners do not always match each other. This page explains what the term covers and how the public FDA and NLM records classify it.
What is a Kittner sponge?
It is a device intended for blunt tissue dissection during a surgical procedure. The Global Medical Device Nomenclature (GMDN) term 13698, “Dissection sponge”, defines this device class as typically a small absorbent sponge (for example cotton twill, gauze or rayon), sometimes with a hole to help hold it with forceps, and lists “Kittner” among the example shapes alongside rosebud, peanut, cherry and round (AccessGUDID record, checked 2026-11-01). Related search terms such as “kittner dissector”, “kittner surgical instrument” and “kittner surgery” all point at this same device class; “kittner surgery” is not a procedure, it simply means surgery in which the sponge is used.
Who uses it: surgical teams, sterile-processing and supply staff, and students learning instrument and supply names.
How a Kittner sponge is built
The open-surgery example in AccessGUDID is described as “Cotton Kittner 9/16″ x 1/4″”, a cotton sponge supplied sterile and labelled single use (AccessGUDID, checked 2026-11-01). The GMDN definition says that dissection sponges as a class are typically absorbent, and that many types include an X-ray radiopaque element; it does not say every product has one.
Types of Kittner product in the FDA and NLM records
| Record | What the record says | FDA product code |
|---|---|---|
| Cotton Kittner 9/16″ x 1/4″ | Dissection sponge (GMDN 13698); sterile; single use; premarket number K872808 | EFQ, “Gauze/Sponge, Internal” |
| Symmetry SECTO Kittner Dissector, bulk | Supplied non-sterile in bulk (300 units, 5 dissectors each); single use; General-purpose surgical sponge (GMDN 44971); premarket exempt | GDY, “Gauze/Sponge, Internal, X-Ray Detectable” |
| Aspen Endoscopic Kittner, single tip | Single use, intended for blunt dissection of tissue; sterile; model KT-9101 (a double-tip variant also has a record) | GCJ, “Laparoscope, General and Plastic Surgery” |
All three rows are from AccessGUDID, checked 2026-11-01. These records are manufacturer-supplied listings; they are not FDA approvals. The endoscopic record is marked as no longer in commercial distribution (end date 1 August 2023).
Why the same sponge carries different FDA codes
The three records in the table sit under three product codes. GDY, “Gauze/sponge, internal, x-ray detectable”, is Class 1 and 510(k)-exempt under 21 CFR 878.4450 (nonabsorbable gauze for internal use) according to FDA’s product classification database, though establishment registration still applies. The EFQ record, “Gauze/Sponge, Internal”, cites premarket number K872808. The endoscopic Kittner is listed under a laparoscope-related code, GCJ, so one product family can appear under quite different codes. Do not read the code alone as a statement of what a product is made of or how it behaves.
Sizes
The only size in these three records is the 9/16″ x 1/4″ Cotton Kittner above, and it appears in the product description; the structured size field in that record reads “No Device Sizes”. The bulk and endoscopic records list no sizes. Check the size printed on the pack.
What to verify on the record or label
| Check | Why the records show it matters |
|---|---|
| Sterile or non-sterile | The Cotton Kittner and the endoscopic Kittner are listed as sterile; the SECTO bulk pack is listed as non-sterile. |
| Single use | All three records are single use. |
| Radiopacity statement | The SECTO record carries the “x-ray detectable” code GDY while its GMDN text describes the sponge as not radiopaque, so the two parts of one record disagree. The GMDN class definition only says many types include a radiopaque element. |
| Open or endoscopic | The endoscopic Kittner is a separate listing designed for laparoscopic use, with its own model and code. |
Common mistakes
- Treating a Kittner as the same as a tonsil, peanut, cherry or rosebud sponge. They are all dissection sponge shapes in the GMDN class; see the tonsil sponge guide for those shapes.
- Assuming that a “x-ray detectable” product code proves a given Kittner is radiopaque; read the label or instructions for use.
- Reading a GUDID listing as FDA approval of the product.
- Mixing up dissection sponges with other products that share the word “sponge” or “gauze”; see gauze types for the wound-care side, and plastic surgery instruments for instruments used in the same surgical setting.
FAQ
What is a Kittner dissector?
It is the same device class as a Kittner sponge: a small sponge used for blunt dissection.
What is a laparoscopic or endoscopic Kittner?
It is a Kittner made for endoscopic use. The AccessGUDID record for the Aspen single-tip model describes it as single use and intended for blunt dissection of tissue.
Is a Kittner sponge sterile?
It depends on the product. Of the three records, two are listed as sterile and the bulk SECTO pack is listed as non-sterile.
Sources
- AccessGUDID (NLM): https://accessgudid.nlm.nih.gov/devices/20749915000722, https://accessgudid.nlm.nih.gov/devices/00887482002261 and https://accessgudid.nlm.nih.gov/devices/00887761000001, checked 2026-11-01.
- FDA product classification database, GDY: https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cdrh/cfdocs/cfPCD/classification.cfm?id=GDY, checked 2026-11-01.
- 21 CFR 878.4450, as cited in the FDA classification for GDY: https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-21/section-878.4450, checked 2026-11-01.
