Surgical procedure with retractor
AssigneeNuVasive, Inc.
InventorsCasey O'Connell, Joel Kohn, James Coleman Lee, David Banks
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A surgical retractor assembly is provided having a frame that releasably couples two retractor blades. The retractor blades are coupled to the frame via a pair of mobile carriages that engage a track on the frame. A third retractor blade is configured to be independent of the frame with the first two retractor blades. The independent blade may be fixably positionable in the patient by a direct coupling to a rigid table mount. The retractor assembly may be utilized for creating anterior access to spinal target site while the patient is oriented in the lateral decubitus position.
Claims17
A method comprising:
- coupling a carriage to a track of a rigid frame;
- securing a blade post in a blade holder of the carriage;
- adjusting a retractor blade coupled to a distal end of the blade post by manipulating a handle disposed at a proximal end of the blade post;
- locking the carriage by advancing a locking cap along a column of the carriage toward a compression cap having a lower surface interfacing with an upper portion of the blade holder;
- and
- unlocking the carriage by advancing the locking cap along the column away from the compression cap,
- wherein the blade holder and the compression cap have a common vertical axis.
A method comprising:
- sliding a foot of a carriage into a groove of a rigid frame, the foot having a foot length greater than a foot width and a pair of bulbous ends curving into a middle foot region narrower than a width of the pair of bulbous ends;
- removably coupling a retractor blade assembly to the carriage by securing a blade post of the retractor blade assembly to a blade channel of the carriage;
- and
- using the retractor blade to hold tissue during a spinal fusion procedure.
A method comprising:
- providing a frame defining a groove;
- sliding a foot of a carriage into the groove;
- disposing a retractor in an incision of a patient;
- holding a blade post of the retractor in a blade holder of the carriage;
- tensioning, with a tensioner of the carriage, a compression cap against the blade holder, such that a lower surface of the compression cap interfaces with an upper portion of the blade holder;
- advancing a locking cap along a column of the carriage toward the compression cap to lock the carriage;
- and
- advancing the locking cap away from the compression cap to unlock the carriage, and
- wherein the blade holder and the compression cap have a common vertical axis.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.