Apparatus and method for intra-abdominally moving a first internal organ to a position away from a second internal organ and then holding the first internal organ in the position without manual input

A surgical tissue connector apparatus for intra-abdominally moving a first internal organ to a position away from a second internal organ and then holding the first internal organ in the position without manual input, the apparatus comprising:

• a base having a length with opposite first and second ends;
• a tissue connector on the base, the tissue connector extending from the base first end to a device on the tissue connector that is operable to connect the tissue connector to body tissue;
• a rod on the base;
• a flexible cord having a length with opposite first and second ends, an intermediate portion of the cord length being tied in a Munter hitch knot around the rod, a first portion of the cord extending from the Munter hitch knot on a first side of the rod and from the base second end to the first end of the cord and a second portion of the cord extending from the Munter hitch knot on a second side of the rod opposite the first side of the rod and from the base second end to the second end of the cord, the Munter hitch knot being movable on the rod between the first and second sides of the rod where when the Munter hitch knot is positioned on the first side of the rod the cord first portion can be pulled from the Munter hitch knot and thereby increase the length of the cord first portion and decrease the length of the cord second portion while the cord second portion cannot be pulled from the Winter hitch knot to increase the length of the cord second portion, and when the Munter hitch knot is positioned on the second side of the rod, the cord second portion can be pulled from the Munter hitch knot and thereby increase the length of the cord second portion and decrease the length of the cord first portion while the cord first portion cannot be pulled from the Munter hitch knot to increase the length of the cord first portion;
• and
• a releasable one-way lock mounted on the base for movement of the lock between first and second positions of the lock relative to the base where in the first position the lock keeps the Munter hitch knot on the first side of the rod and prevents the Munter hitch knot from moving from the first side of the rod to the second side of the rod and thereby allows the cord first portion to be pulled from the Munter hitch knot to increase the length of the cord first portion while preventing the cord second portion from being pulled from the Munter hitch knot to increase the length of the cord second portion, and in the second position the lock allows the Munter hitch knot to move from the first side of the rod to the second side of the rod and thereby allows the cord second portion to be pulled from the Munter hitch knot to increase the length of the cord second portion while decreasing the length of the cord first portion

A method of intra-abdominally moving a first internal organ to a position away from a second internal organ and then holding the first internal organ at the position without manual input, the method comprising:

• providing a cord having a flexible length with opposite first and second ends;
• inserting the cord through an abdominal wall and into an abdominal cavity containing the first and second organs;
• connecting a first part of the cord to body tissue on an opposite side of the abdominal cavity from the abdominal wall;
• connecting a second part of the cord to the abdominal wall with the cord extending across the first internal organ;
• moving the first internal organ to the position away from the second internal organ;
• disconnecting the first part of the cord from the body tissue to which it is connected;
• disconnecting the second part of the cord from the body tissue to which it is connected;
• and,
• removing the cord from the abdominal cavity.