Screw shank based tissue retraction

A surgical system, comprising:

• a blade including an indented arcuate channel at a distal end thereof;
• a bone screw having a spherical head comprising an upper dome shaped surface and a lower dome shaped surface;
• and
• a surgical instrument configured to enable simultaneously driving the bone screw into a boney structure of a patient in an installed position and delivering the blade within the patient adjacent the installed position,
• wherein the surgical instrument comprises:
• an elongated outer-sheath extending in a longitudinal direction from a proximal end to a distal end, the elongated outer-sheath having an interior cavity defining a centrally disposed longitudinal axis extending in the longitudinal direction, the elongated outer-sheath having a coupling rail disposed proximate to the distal end;
• and
• a rotatable driver disposed within the interior cavity and extending in the longitudinal direction and rotatable about the longitudinal axis,
• wherein the blade is configured to selectively couple to and uncouple from the elongated outer-sheath;
• and
• wherein the indented arcuate channel is configured to directly contact about 15% to about 50% of the lower dome shaped surface of the bone screw while the surgical instrument drives the bone screw into the boney structure of the patient.

A method for simultaneously delivering a blade and a bone screw, comprising:

• providing a surgical instrument comprising:
• an elongated outer-sheath extending in a longitudinal direction from a proximal end to a distal end, the elongated outer-sheath having an interior cavity defining a centrally disposed longitudinal axis extending in the longitudinal direction;
• the elongated outer-sheath having a coupling rail disposed proximate to the distal end;
• a central-sheath disposed within the interior cavity and extending in the longitudinal direction;
• and
• an inner-shaft rotatably supported by the central-sheath and extending in the longitudinal direction, the inner-shaft including a driver disposed proximate the distal end;
• providing a blade comprising a bone screw receiving portion, the bone screw receiving portion comprises an indented arcuate channel;
• coupling the blade to the elongated outer-sheath via the coupling rail;
• providing a bone screw having a head portion including a lower dome shaped surface generally corresponding in size and shape to the bone screw receiving portion;
• coupling the bone screw to the driver;
• supporting about 15% to about 50% of the lower dome shaped surface of the bone screw with the indented arcuate channel;
• installing, simultaneously, the bone screw in a boney structure of a patient in an installed position and the blade in the patient,
• wherein the bone screw is installed by rotating the driver such that the lower dome shaped surface of the bone screw slides across the indented arcuate channel.