Dr. Fiala tests the “Keller Funnel”

Ever see a product and go, “I wish I had thought of that”? Today, I tested a new surgical product called the Keller funnel, named after its inventor, also a plastic surgeon – and I had that very same sentiment.

Essentially, the Keller funnel looks like a high-tech cake decorator’s funnel, the triangular bag with which cake icing would be squeezed onto a cake – except that this one is made of fancy materials, is sterile, and has an inner surface which is coated with a slippery space-age coating. Dr. Keller devised it to help plastic surgeons place silicone gel breast implants more easily during surgery, through smaller incisions, and with potentially less contamination or chance of implant damage.

While these other possible benefits haven’t yet been scientifically proven, the gadget certainly does work for its primary purpose – the implant slides into the surgical pocket, easy as can be.

If the company can produce these at a reasonable price, I think they’ll have a winner.