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Retractor with inflatable blades

a technology of retractor and blade, which is applied in the field of retractor, can solve the problems of significant physical trauma to the patient, requiring one week of hospital recovery time, and weeks of convalescen

Inactive Publication Date: 2007-12-27
ATRICURE
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  • Summary
  • Abstract
  • Description
  • Claims
  • Application Information

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

This technique causes significant physical trauma to the patient and can require one week of hospital recovery time and up to eight weeks of convalescence.
This can be very expensive in terms of hospital costs and disability, to say nothing of the pain to the patient.
While this procedure has the advantage of being less invasive or traumatic than performing a media, sternotomy, there are numerous disadvantages to using trocars to establish the entry ports for the instruments and viewscope.
In addition, because of the limited movement, the surgeon often has to force the instrument into an angle that moves the trocar and further damages the surrounding tissue and nerves.
Tile need to force the instrument causes the surgeon to lose sensitivity and tactile feedback, thus making the surgery more difficult.
A disadvantage of current surgical retractors is that they can cause injury or trauma to the tissues surrounding the incision.

Method used

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  • Retractor with inflatable blades
  • Retractor with inflatable blades
  • Retractor with inflatable blades

Examples

Experimental program
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second embodiment

[0019]FIG. 3 is a cross section of the retractor 120. In this embodiment, a concave retractor blade or ring 122 is covered with a resilient material or inflatable bladder 124 to non-traumatically create and maintain an opening 126 between a patient's ribs R. The blade 122 or other solid piece of material may be used as a platform to hold other objects, such as a tissue stabilizer, a positioner, a second retractor, an ablation element, syringe or other injection device for injection of drugs or other injectables, etc. A rod or other connecting means 130 may be used to fixedly or adjustably position and secure the surgical or medical tool 128. Adjustment mechanisms may include, but are not limited to, a swivel, a hinge, a malleable member, a ball and socket, a ball and collet, snap-on fittings or other known fixed or adjustable connectors.

[0020] In a particularly preferred embodiment, the surgical or medical tool 128 attached to the retractor 120 is a tissue stabilizer for stabilizing...

third embodiment

[0021]FIG. 4 shows the retractor 140. In this embodiment, two discrete rigid blades 142 are mounted on a spreading track 144. Once the initial incision is made with the scalpel, the blades 142, located closely together on the spreading track 144, are inserted into the incision. The tissue contacting surface of the blades, in this case the outside surfaces, have a resilient surface 146 to non-traumatically engage the tissue. The resilient surface 146 may be a soft gel coating or a filled or an inflatable bladder containing or designed to contain air, gas, gel, silicone, saline or other material. Preferably, the retractor 140 includes a mechanism, for example a rack and pinion with a crank, can be used to forcibly separate the retractor blades 142 to create a space 148 for surgical access through the intercostal incision.

[0022] Alternatively, two or more blades 142 may be used to provide structural support for an inflatable ring 102, similar to the embodiment described in FIG. 1, in p...

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PUM

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Abstract

A surgical retractor is configured to provide surgical access in thoracic surgery, for example through an intercostal incision. The surgical retractor includes at least one inflated or inflatable member to cushion the ribs and surrounding tissue from injury or trauma. In one embodiment, the inflatable member is configured as an inflatable ring with a concave outer surface for engaging and spreading apart two adjacent ribs when the ring is inflated. In another embodiment, the inflatable ring can be combined with a substantially rigid inner ring for supporting and rigidifying the retractor. In yet another embodiment, a plurality of substantially rigid retractor blades is mounted on a spreading track or the like. One or more inflatable members or an inflatable ring are used to cushion the tissue from the rigid retractor blades.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] This application is a continuation of U.S. Utility application Ser. No. 10 / 988,00 filed Nov. 12, 2004, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60 / 519,512, filed on Nov. 12, 2003. This and all patents and patent applications referred to herein are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0002] The invention pertains to apparatus and methods for surgical retraction. In particular, it is a retractor with an inflatable retraction member or a cushion to inhibit trauma to the patient's tissues and organs during retraction. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0003] Surgery on the heart is one of the most commonly performed types of surgery that is done in hospitals across the U.S. Cardiac surgery can involve the correction of defects in the valves of the heart, defects to the veins or the arteries of the heart and defects such as aneurysms and thromboses that relate to the circulation of blood fr...

Claims

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Application Information

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Patent Type & Authority Applications(United States)
IPC IPC(8): A61B17/00A61B1/32A61B17/02A61B17/34
CPCA61B17/02A61B2017/3427A61B17/3423A61B17/0293
Inventor BERTOLERO, ARTHUR A.IBRAHIM, TAMER
Owner ATRICURE
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