Powered surgical retractor
OwnerJames A. McEwen, Geoffrey F. Auchinleck +2inventors
InventorsJames A. McEwen, Geoffrey F. Auchinleck, Carlo R. Bussani, Mark N. Dance
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Apparatus useful in surgery for holding surgical instruments such as retractor blades in a number of different positions required by a surgeon for the performance of a surgical procedure, including an actuation means responsive to a control signal, a signal generating means which enables an operator to generate the control signal and which transmits the control signal to the actuation means, for causing the actuation means to move the surgical instrument.
Claims17
A powered surgical retractor, comprising:
- a support member adapted for attachment to a rail member of an operating table;
- a first positioning member mounted to the support member;
- a second positioning member adjustably attached at one end to the first positioning member, the other end of the second positioning member being adapted to hold a surgical retractor;
- a surgical retractor held by the other end of the second positioning member;
- and
- fluid-driven means for applying a fluid-driven force between the support member and the first positioning member for moving the first positioning member and attached second positioning member and the retractor relative to the support member.
Apparatus for surgical retraction, comprising:
- a clamp adaptable for clamping to the rail of an operating table, the clamp including a body;
- a carriage mounted to the body of the clamp for translational motion relative to the body;
- an elongated positioning member having one end joined to the carriage for rotation about the joined end, another end of the positioning member being connectable to a surgical retractor;
- and
- an elevator connected to the clamp body and including drive means for driving the translational motion of the carriage thereby to change the elevation of the carriage and joined positioning member.
A method of using a surgical retraction apparatus, comprising the steps of:
- connecting a surgical retractor to a first end of an elongated positioning member;
- connecting the positioning member to a carriage member;
- providing a stationary support member;
- mounting the carriage member to the support member for movement relative to the support member;
- and
- connecting between the carriage member and the support member an actuator having a movable part, so that movement of the actuator part moves the carriage and connected positioning member thereby to change the position of the surgical retractor.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.