Surgical support apparatus with a Z-shape rake plate
AssigneeRultract, Inc.
InventorsJanice Lee Rullo, William John Koteles
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A first embodiment of a surgical retractor includes a Z-shape rake plate, one or more rakes for applying a retractor force to a portion of a patient's body, and pivoting mounting means for mounting the rakes to the rake plate. Means are provided to adjust the extension of the rakes relative to the rake plate, and various connections are provided for connecting the rakes to the rake plate. The rake plate is Z-shape to facilitate placement relative to a surgical cavity of a patient. A method of holding open a surgical cavity includes the placing of rakes relative to the cavity and adjusting the position of the respective rakes relative to the rake plate to thereby retract the portion of the patient's body and provide access to the surgical cavity.
Claims18
A surgical retractor, comprising:
- a rake plate,
- at least one rake mounted with respect to the rake plate for applying a retractor force to a patient's body,
- wherein said rake plate has a generally Z-shape structure.
A surgical retractor, comprising:
- a rake plate having a generally Z-shape structure;
- a rib rake adjustably mounted with respect to the rake plate for applying a retractor force to a patient's rib;
- and
- an L-shaped sternal rake adjustably mounted with respect to the rake plate for applying a retractor force to a patient's sternum.
A surgical retractor comprising
- a Z-shape rake plate having a center portion and respective end portions,
- a mounting device to mount a respective rake in relative proximity to the respective end portions of the rake plate, and
- a clip for coupling a rake in relative proximity to the center portion of the rake plate.
A method of holding open a surgical cavity comprising the steps of:
- providing a surgical cavity by making a surgical incision in a portion of a patient's body,
- attaching a first rake to a Z-shape rake plate,
- placing the first rake in the surgical incision,
- adjusting the extension of the first rake relative to the rake plate, and
- retracting the Z-shape rake plate together with the first rake to thereby retract the portion of the patient's body and provide access to the surgical cavity.
A method of minimizing the space required in a surgical field for retraction, comprising
- using a Z-shape rake plate to support one or more rake mechanisms or the like, and
- adjusting the height position of at least one of the Z-shape rake plate or at least one or more rake mechanisms or the like to affect retraction.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.