A handheld medical instrument designed for efficient, atraumatic blunt tissue dissection and/or elevation during surgery. The instrument generally comprises an elongated shaft having a cottonoid or similar disposable dissection device at one or both ends. Attachment to the cottonoid may be direct or the shaft may include grasping constructs designed to grasp the cottonoid or to grasp a support structure which is attached to the dissection device. The devices may have reusable components or may be disposable.
