Katalyst Surgical

Katalyst Surgical is an American ophthalmic surgical instrument company headquartered at 722 Goddard Ave in Chesterfield, Missouri. The company describes itself as an industry leader in ophthalmology and positions itself as a preferred provider of surgical retina instrumentation. Its product catalog spans anterior, posterior, and glaucoma procedure categories, including forceps, scissors, needle holders, cannulas, endoilluminators, laser probes, manipulators, speculum, knives, and instrument trays. A distinctive part of its offering is the DEX TIP$™ disposable forceps and scissors tip system, which pairs disposable tips with reusable handles in multiple gauge sizes (23ga, 25ga, and 27ga). Katalyst also promotes instrument repair services and a comparison tool that lets surgeons enter a competitor's catalog number to find similar Katalyst instruments. The brand's roots trace to 1985, when founder Gregg Scheller, working with two partners, created the Advanced Surgical Products (ASP) brand and introduced the first disposable light pipe for retina surgical endoillumination. That first prototype was produced on a kitchen table, and by 1990 the manufacturer was producing over 180,000 lightpipes annually, supplying the entire industry, including the Storz, Alcon, and Grieshaber brands. Scheller went on to found Synergetics and Katalyst, and the Katalyst pyramid logo was inspired by what the company calls the "Coat of Arms of Gregg Scheller's career." Today Katalyst sells titanium ophthalmic instruments, which the company notes are lighter than stainless steel, non-magnetic, and resistant to rust and corrosion. Featured products include the Korenfeld PENTA™ Needle Holder Scissor, the Awh MVP™ Micro Vacuum Pick, the Gass Retinal Detachment Hook, the Slim DEX™ family of forceps (including NanoTapered™ Awh, Morris Honey Badger, Asymmetrical Tano, Serrated, Maculorhexis, End Grasping, Morris ILM, Super Grip, and Hassan variants), Slim DEX™ curved horizontal and vertical scissors, the Stiff Illuminated MultiFlex™ Laser Probe and Inverted Laser Probe, the Tano Polisher, the Maeno-Awh Super Manipulator, disposable iris retractors, the Witherspoon Kandle™, and the Ravi Guide. The company markets to retina surgeons worldwide and maintains customer service operations with weekday business hours from 8am to 5pm. Katalyst operates as a privately held company and does not appear on public stock exchanges. Its identity is closely tied to the career of founder Gregg Scheller and to a lineage of retina instrument innovation that began with the disposable light pipe and continues through the DEX TIP$™ disposable-tip platform and titanium reusable instruments.

Katalyst Surgical's history is presented by the company as a "storied journey" that begins in 1985. That year, founder Gregg Scheller, working with just two partners, created the Advanced Surgical Products (ASP) brand. The first ASP model was introduced later that same year and was the invention of the first disposable light pipe for retina surgical endoillumination. According to the company's account, this first prototype was produced in 1985 on a kitchen table. The innovation proved commercially significant: by 1990, the manufacturer was producing over 180,000 lightpipes on an annual basis, and this output supplied the entirety of the industry, including the Storz, Alcon, and Grieshaber brands. Scheller's career spanned multiple surgical ventures. Besides ASP, he also founded Synergetics and Katalyst. The Katalyst pyramid logo was created during the founding of Scheller's third surgical venture, and the company describes its inspiration as the "Coat of Arms of Gregg Scheller's career." A photograph of the key sales and marketing team at the AAO (American Academy of Ophthalmology) annual meeting circa 1996 is part of the company's historical record. Over time, Katalyst became, in the company's words, "the face of Retina surgical instrument development." The brand expanded from its light pipe origins into a broad catalog of ophthalmic instruments. Today Katalyst produces many different models that deliver strong surgical performance and offer a variety of unique performance and ergonomic design features that distinguish the Katalyst brand. Its modern product line includes anterior, posterior, and glaucoma categories, with titanium instruments that are lighter than stainless steel, non-magnetic, and resistant to rust and corrosion. The company also offers instrument repair services and a catalog-number comparison tool for surgeons evaluating competitor instruments. The company is headquartered at 722 Goddard Ave in Chesterfield, Missouri, and operates customer service with weekday hours from 8am to 5pm. It remains privately held and continues to market retina surgical instrumentation to surgeons worldwide.

• 1996

  Key sales and marketing team photographed at the AAO annual meeting circa 1996.

• 1990

  The manufacturer produces over 180,000 lightpipes annually, supplying the entire industry including Storz, Alcon, and Grieshaber.

• 1985

  Gregg Scheller and two partners create the Advanced Surgical Products (ASP) brand; the first ASP model, the first disposable light pipe for retina surgical endoillumination, is introduced and prototyped on a kitchen table.

Preferred provider of surgical retina instrumentation and an industry leader in ophthalmology, emphasizing disposable-tip innovation, titanium reusable instruments, and instrument repair.

• DEX TIP$™ disposable forceps and scissors tips

  Disposable tips available in 23ga, 25ga, and 27ga, compatible with two reusable handle styles.

• Slim DEX™ forceps family

  Includes NanoTapered™ Awh, Morris Honey Badger, Asymmetrical Tano, Serrated, Maculorhexis, End Grasping, Morris ILM, Super Grip, and Hassan variants.

• Korenfeld PENTA™ Needle Holder Scissor

  Featured anterior product.

• Awh MVP™ Micro Vacuum Pick

  Reusable micro vacuum pick.

• Stiff Illuminated MultiFlex™ Laser Probe

  Featured posterior product; also available in an inverted version.

• Maeno-Awh Super Manipulator

  Posterior product.

• Gass Retinal Detachment Hook

  Priced at $170.00 on the company's shop page.

• Tano Polisher

  Posterior product.

• Witherspoon Kandle™

  Posterior product.

• Disposable Iris Retractors

  Anterior product.

1. 1Disposable Retina Instruments | Katalyst Surgical | United Stateskatalystsurgical.com
2. 2Contact | Katalyst Surgicalkatalystsurgical.com
3. 3Products | Katalyst Surgicalkatalystsurgical.com
4. 4About | Katalyst Surgicalkatalystsurgical.com
5. 5Katalyst Surgical (United States) - Wikidatawikidata.org