# US 2014/0194698 A1 · Abdominal retractor

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- Number: US 2014/0194698 A1
- Document ID: US20140194698A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 14/150,866
- Filed: 2014-01-09
- Published: 2014-07-10
- Earliest claimed: 2013-01-09
- Assignees: Cook Medical Technologies LLC
- Applicants: Cook Medical Technologies LLC
- Inventors: Jeffry S. Melsheimer; Leslie Cook
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140194698A1

## CPC

- A61B 17/0293: {with ring member to support retractor elements}
- A61B 17/0218: {for minimally invasive surgery (A61B17/0281, A61B17/0469, A61B17/12013, A61B17/1285, A61B17/29, A61B17/320016 take precedence)}
- A61B 17/0281: {Abdominal wall lifters}
- A61B 2017/00862: {elastic or resilient}
- A61B 2017/0225: {flexible, e.g. fabrics, meshes, or membranes}
- A61B: DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION (usefulness limited to only animals A61D)

## Abstract

Devices and methods for retracting tissue, such as bowels and organs, within the body of a patient are generally disclosed. In particular, the present disclosure describes surgical retractors having a series of intersecting strands defining openings there between, wherein the openings are enlargeable by slidable passage of the strands relative to one another. The present disclosure also teaches surgical retractors having a frame that defines a central opening and a supporting structure extending across the central opening and defining a plurality of openings, wherein the frame extends through the openings. In some embodiments, a surgical retractor comprises a monolithic polymeric structure extending across the central opening defined by a frame. Other embodiments and methods are disclosed.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A surgical retractor, comprising:
a frame defining a central opening; and
a supporting structure extending across at least a portion of said central opening and comprising a series of intersecting strands defining strand openings therebetween;
wherein said strand openings are enlargeable by slidable passage of said strands relative to one another.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The surgical retractor of claim 1, wherein:
said frame is deformably resilient.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The surgical retractor of claim 1, wherein:
said intersecting strands are interwoven.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The surgical retractor of claim 1, wherein:
said strands of said supporting structure are movable with respect to one another so as to change the arrangement of said strand openings.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The surgical retractor of claim 1, wherein:
the cross section of at least one strand changes along a length of said strand.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The surgical retractor of claim 1, wherein:
said strands are configurable to change the shape of said strand openings.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The surgical retractor of claim 1, wherein:
said frame extends through a plurality of said strand openings.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The surgical retractor of claim 7, wherein:
said frame is woven through a plurality of said strand openings.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The surgical retractor of claim 1, wherein:
slidable passage of said strands relative to one another enlarges one or more strand openings and shrinks or eliminates adjacent strand openings.

### Claim 10

A surgical retractor, comprising:
a frame defining a central opening; and
a supporting structure extending across said central opening and comprising a web member defining web openings;
wherein said frame extends through a plurality of said web openings.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The surgical retractor of claim 10, wherein:
said frame is deformably resilient.

### Claim 12 (depends on 10)

The surgical retractor of claim 10, wherein:
said frame is woven through a plurality of said web openings.

### Claim 13 (depends on 10)

The surgical retractor of claim 10, wherein:
said web member is configurable to change the size of said web openings.

### Claim 14 (depends on 10)

The surgical retractor of claim 10, wherein:
said web member is configurable to change the shape of said web openings.

### Claim 15

A surgical retractor, comprising:
a frame defining a central opening; and
a web member extending across at least a portion of said central opening and defining a plurality of web openings;
wherein said web member comprises a monolithic polymeric structure defining a plurality of intersecting struts forming said web member.

### Claim 16 (depends on 15)

The surgical retractor of claim 15, wherein:
said frame is deformably resilient.

### Claim 17 (depends on 15)

The surgical retractor of claim 15, wherein:
said frame is woven through a plurality of said web openings.

### Claim 18 (depends on 15)

The surgical retractor of claim 15, wherein:
said web member comprises openings of less than approximately 1 inch in width.

### Claim 19 (depends on 15)

The surgical retractor of claim 15, wherein:
said web member is free of knots.

### Claim 20 (depends on 15)

The surgical retractor of claim 15, wherein:
said web member is flexibly resilient.