A61B 17/02
Surgical instruments, devices or methods: for holding wounds open
Official title: for holding wounds open, e.g. retractors; Tractors
A61B17/02 (Surgical instruments, devices or methods: for holding wounds open) appears on 8,403 US grants and 9,638 published applications in this corpus.
Search patents in A61B- Granted patents
- 8,403
- Published applications
- 9,638
- Assignees
- 1,993
- Inventors
- 9,725
- Latest grant
- 6 Oct 2026
Filings by year
| Year | Granted patents | Published applications |
|---|---|---|
| 1976 | 5 | 0 |
| 1977 | 8 | 0 |
| 1978 | 6 | 0 |
| 1979 | 7 | 0 |
| 1980 | 4 | 0 |
| 1981 | 7 | 0 |
| 1982 | 6 | 0 |
| 1983 | 9 | 0 |
| 1984 | 15 | 0 |
| 1985 | 10 | 0 |
| 1986 | 16 | 0 |
| 1987 | 8 | 0 |
| 1988 | 14 | 0 |
| 1989 | 17 | 0 |
| 1990 | 21 | 0 |
| 1991 | 29 | 0 |
| 1992 | 24 | 0 |
| 1993 | 37 | 0 |
| 1994 | 70 | 0 |
| 1995 | 81 | 0 |
| 1996 | 83 | 0 |
| 1997 | 85 | 0 |
| 1998 | 151 | 0 |
| 1999 | 156 | 0 |
| 2000 | 151 | 0 |
| 2001 | 167 | 59 |
| 2002 | 153 | 223 |
| 2003 | 170 | 229 |
| 2004 | 131 | 324 |
| 2005 | 100 | 349 |
| 2006 | 123 | 332 |
| 2007 | 132 | 414 |
| 2008 | 81 | 405 |
| 2009 | 149 | 315 |
| 2010 | 244 | 375 |
| 2011 | 318 | 358 |
| 2012 | 317 | 399 |
| 2013 | 359 | 436 |
| 2014 | 412 | 482 |
| 2015 | 399 | 463 |
| 2016 | 389 | 442 |
| 2017 | 408 | 510 |
| 2018 | 373 | 456 |
| 2019 | 439 | 511 |
| 2020 | 391 | 463 |
| 2021 | 376 | 413 |
| 2022 | 404 | 425 |
| 2023 | 384 | 376 |
| 2024 | 366 | 344 |
| 2025 | 384 | 324 |
| 2026 | 214 | 211 |
By publication year. Applications have been published since 2001. 2026 runs to 8 Oct.
Subgroups
Granted patents
- A61B 17/0218For minimally invasive surgery3,346
- A61B 17/025Joint distractors3,189
- A61B 17/0206With antagonistic arms as supports for retractor elements1,499
- A61B 17/0293With ring member to support retractor elements1,117
- A61B 2017/0237For heart surgeryIndexing code632
- A61B 17/0281Abdominal wall lifters282
- A61B 17/0231For eye surgery215
- A61B 2017/0287With elastic retracting members connectable to a frameIndexing code176
All 9 subgroupsShow fewer
Recent patents
- Retractor system6 Oct 2026US 12,751,704 B2Thompson Surgical Instruments, Inc.
- Device and method for providing a volume in a lumen6 Oct 2026US 12,751,705 B2Nanyang Technological University
- Medical systems, devices, and related methods for traction in tissue removal6 Oct 2026US 12,751,706 B2Boston Scientific Medical Device Limited
- Devices for scleral depression6 Oct 2026US 12,751,707 B2Alcon Inc.
- Force measuring joint distraction lever6 Oct 2026US 12,751,708 B2MAKO Surgical Corp.
- Surgical spatula8 Oct 2026US 2026/0306086 A1MINDER S.r.l.
- Abdominal Wall Retractor8 Oct 2026US 2026/0306087 A1
- Vertebral retractor8 Oct 2026US 2026/0306088 A1Shukla Medical
- Tissue traction devices8 Oct 2026US 2026/0306089 A1Boston Scientific Scimed, Inc.
- Pistol Grip Joint Tensioner8 Oct 2026US 2026/0306090 A1Howmedica Osteonics Corp.
Most cited
By later US patents
- Surgical stapling device2,457US 7,168,604 B2Tyco Healthcare Group LP · 2007
- Endoscopic surgery apparatus2,420US 6,352,503 B1Olympus Optical Co., Ltd. · 2002
- Circular stapler tissue retention spring method2,417US 5,309,927 AEthicon, Inc. · 1994
- Articulation mechanism for surgical instrument2,182US 7,703,653 B2Tyco Healthcare Group LP · 2010
- Circular stapler for hemorrhoidal surgery2,176US 6,102,271 AEthicon Endo-Surgery, Inc. · 2000