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Singley (Singley-Tuttle) Tissue Forceps

Singley (Singley-Tuttle) tissue forceps are spring-action thumb forceps for open tissue handling.[1] An Ambler-labeled Singley (Tuttle) model has serrated fenestrated jaws and is 7 inches long;[2] a Teleflex Tuttle (Singley) model is 13 inches long.[3]

Often written interchangeably as Singley or Singley-Tuttle; both names refer to the same fenestrated thumb forceps.

Design​

  • Length: model-specific; the directly checked Ambler and Teleflex listings span 7 and 13 inches.[2][3]
  • Profile: spring-action thumb forceps; no ring handles, no ratchet.
  • Tips: fenestrated, serrated jaws in the Ambler listing; alignment and specific window shape should be checked on the chosen instrument.[2]
  • Material: surgical-grade stainless steel.

The Fenestrated-Tip Mechanism​

Fenestration changes how tissue contacts the jaws but still requires controlled compression and traction.[4] A separate laboratory study found better retention from fenestrated laparoscopic parallel-occlusion jaws.[4] In practice:

  • A fenestrated jaw may improve purchase in a suitable tissue, but the amount of squeeze and slip depends on tissue, window geometry and force.
  • No prominent interlocking tooth avoids that particular puncture mechanism; a window edge can still mark or tear serosa.
  • A clinical trauma ranking against DeBakey, smooth or toothed tips has not been established.

This makes the Singley one available option for brief, controlled handling of suitable bowel or peritoneal tissue during open reconstruction.

Reconstructive-Urology Uses​

  • Open urinary diversion: ileal conduit, orthotopic neobladder (Studer, Hautmann), continent cutaneous reservoir (Indiana, Miami, Kock), with bowel-segment isolation, mesenteric windowing, antimesenteric opening, and detubularization handling.
  • Augmentation cystoplasty: ileal / ileocecal / sigmoid patch mobilization and U-shape reconfiguration.
  • Mitrofanoff and Monti channels: selected appendiceal or bowel handling while avoiding prolonged compression of the channel wall.
  • Open ureteral reconstruction: ureteral mobilization, tension-free reimplant setup, ureteroureterostomy, ileal-ureter interposition.
  • Peritoneal entry in selected open cases: tent and inspect the peritoneum before controlled incision, using suitable forceps and confirming that bowel is not incorporated.
  • Open prolapse / fistula repair: peritoneal apex handling during high McCall / sacrocolpopexy peritoneal-flap closure, vesicovaginal-fistula peritoneal-interposition flap mobilization.
  • Packing and drape control: secondary use as a long thumb forceps for sponges and packing in deep fields.

Technique​

  • Grip: pencil grip, same as any thumb forceps.
  • Workflow: held in the non-dominant hand to tent / present tissue while the dominant hand cuts, dissects, or sutures.
  • Peritoneal entry. Pick up the peritoneum bilaterally with two Singleys, lift to a tent, palpate for trapped bowel, and incise between the forceps with Metzenbaum; this is a textbook open-laparotomy maneuver.
  • Bowel handling: handle the selected outer tissue briefly with minimal force and release once positioned; avoid repeated forceful regripping at the same spot.

Distinctions from Adjacent Forceps​

ForcepsTip designBest layer
Singley / Singley-TuttleFenestrated oval windowPeritoneum, bowel serosa
DeBakeyParallel-ridge platformVessels, ureter, bowel where DeBakey already in hand
RussianRadially serrated cupped tips on a verified modelSelected robust-tissue broad grip
Adson (toothed)Fine 1×2 teethSkin, dartos
BonneyHeavy 1×2 teethRectus fascia, dense scar
Babcock clampFenestrated ring-handled clamp with ratchetSustained bowel / appendix grip when a thumb forceps would tire the hand

The Singley is a fenestrated, hand-held, non-ratcheting option between fine thumb forceps and sustained ring-handled clamps.

Naming​

Catalogs use both Singley (Tuttle) and Tuttle (Singley) for fenestrated thumb-forceps models.[2][3]

See also: DeBakey, Russian, Bonney, Adson, Babcock clamp.

References​

1. Kirkup J. "The history and evolution of surgical instruments. VII. Spring forceps (tweezers), hooks and simple retractors." Ann R Coll Surg Engl. 1996;78(6):544–52. PMID 8943642

2. U.S. FDA AccessGUDID. Ambler Surgical Singley (Tuttle) tissue forceps, catalog 33-401RG: 7-inch serrated fenestrated jaws. Labeler-submitted device description; not a comparative clinical study.

3. Teleflex Surgical Catalog. Tuttle (Singley) tissue forceps P13044: 13 in (33 cm). Manufacturer listing; jaw geometry is not described on this page.

4. Brown AW, Brown SI, McLean D, et al. Impact of fenestrations and surface profiling on the holding of tissue by parallel occlusion laparoscopic graspers. Surg Endosc. 2014;28:1277–83. Laboratory study of laparoscopic jaws, not Singley forceps. doi:10.1007/s00464-013-3323-7