Surgical retractor having low-friction actuating means and contoured blade arms

Abstract

A retractor for performing surgery, for instance cardiac surgery on the coronary organs of a patient, which has a driving member to which the surgeon input is applied in the form of a mechanical force or torque, a thoracic structure engaging member which interfaces and retracts the patient's thoracic structure when surgeon input is applied to the movable driving member, and a surgeon input load-reducing and load-normalizing mechanism provided in at least one mechanical interface between retractor components where relative motion therebetween occurs. The load-reducing and load-normalizing mechanisms are preferably non-lubricated, thereby tending to ensure an inert and sterile environment during surgery. The retractor is comprised of a locking arrangement allowing a retractor spreader arm to be secured at any longitudinal position along the rack bar, independently of the pinion's position. The thoracic retractor according to this invention tends to improve the efficiency and safety of surgery by reducing the surgeon input required to achieve retraction, and by allowing said input to be applied more uniformly and in a controlled manner free from sudden movements through the normalization of retractor variables.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0001] The present invention relates to the field of surgical apparatus and more specifically, to retractors used in surgery. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] Retractors of all shapes and sizes have been present since the dawn of surgery. A common type of retractor is the chest retractor or thoracic retractor. Retractors of this category may comprise sternum retractors, thoracotomy retractors, mini-thoracotomy retractors, mini-sternotomy retractors, and retractors used for the surgical harvesting of internal thoracic arteries through a sternotomy or intercostal approach incision. For instance, such internal thoracic arteries may comprise the left internal mammary artery. [0003] Sternum retractors are commonly used in cardiac surgery. Cardiac surgery may take several forms. For instance, these forms include traditional coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG) requiring the heart-lung machine, CABG surgery performed directly on a beating heart, minimally in...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

"The present invention provides a surgical retractor with improved maneuverability and reduced risk of tissue trauma and sternum fracture during surgical interventions. The retractor has an elongate guide member and first and second spreader arms that can be moved from a first position where they are adjacent to each other to a second position where they are spaced apart from each other. The retractor also includes an actuator for effecting movement of the first spreader arm and a low friction interfacing member that reduces friction between the actuator and the guide member. The low friction interfacing member helps to sterilize and clean the retractor easily. The retractor also has contoured thoracic structure engaging members that conform to the non-parallel barrelling of the ribcage halves during retraction, which reduces the likelihood of sternal breakages and induced tissue trauma."

Problems solved by technology

The separating force to overcome the resistance load on the retractor may at times be excessive since: a patient may be very corpulent; a patient's bones may be very brittle, and therefore especially resistant to rotation of the ribs about the spine; the retractor blade design may result in concentrated loads being generated at locations remote from the rack bar and pinion mechanism; friction in the retractor system may be high; and wear may have occurred at the mechanical interface between moving components.

This results in a substantially stable orientation when both pins are engaged with the rack teeth, and a substantially unstable orientation when only one pin is engaged with a rack tooth.

This also results in an alternation of discrete and substantially stable locked positions with unstable unlocked positions of the retractor arms along the entire length of the rack.

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