Lateral and Anterior Lateral Retractor System

A delivery system for introducing a plurality of retractor blades to a surgical site of interest, the delivery system including

• a delivery device including a shaft having distal and proximal portions, the shaft including first, second, third, and fourth features extending along the distal portion of the shaft, the first and second features being symmetrically spaced about a first central plane and configured to slidingly engage a portion of one of the retractor blades, the third and fourth features being symmetrically spaced about a second central plane, wherein a line passing through the centers of the first and second features is generally perpendicular to a line passing through the centers of the third and fourth features such that the distal portion of the shaft defines a generally clover-leaf shaped cross-section;
• and
• a plurality of retractor blades, each of the retractor blades comprising a central channel and curved surfaces located on either side of the central channel, the central channel sized and configured to slidingly engage one of the first and second features, the curved surfaces of the retractor blades being sized and configured to correspond generally to portions of the third and fourth features of the shaft, wherein each retractor blade may be attached to the shaft independently by sliding onto one of the first and second engaging features.