Method of retracting a portion of a patient's body
US6416468B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Oct 20, 1999 |
| Grant date | Jul 9, 2002 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Oct 20, 2019 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC A)Human Necessities
- CPC primaryA61B2017/0237
- WIPO fieldMedical technology
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A surgical retractor has a frame and first and second retractor blades coupled to the frame. The retractor blades engage opposite sides of an incision in a patient's body and are relatively movable toward or away from each other along a first axis. When using the retractor in lift mode, a foot is coupled to the frame or one of the blades and engages the patient's body adjacent the incision. An actuator imparts relative movement to the retractor blades along the first axis and the foot acts as a support base with one of the blades moving relative to the frame to lift the ribs at one side of the incision above the other. To use the retractor in spread mode the foot is removed and the retractor blades spread of the ribs without lifting. The retractor may be used in various modes to facilitate a variety of surgical procedures, including, for example, harvesting the right or left internal mammary artery, repair or replacement of the mitral and aortic valves, proximal anastamosis of arterial conduits to the aorta, distal anastamosis of the conduits to coronary arteries, and any of various other procedures requiring access to the heart, great vessels, lungs, or other thoracic contents.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.