Patent ID: 11864746
Assignee: TERUMO CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEMS CORPORATION
Field: Medical technology (Instruments)
Classification: CPC A | IPC A

Claim 14:
15. A disposable subassembly of a stabilizer system for holding a tissue retraction tool for surgical use, comprising:
a plurality of articulating links each having a central passage, wherein at least some of the adjacent links nest together at slidable mating surfaces adapted for adjustment of the disposable subassembly to a desired trajectory;
a tool interface member disposed at a distal end of the articulating links and configured to mount a surgical component to be held at a selected position; and
a tension cable extending through the central passages, wherein a distal end of the tension cable is affixed to the tool interface member, and wherein a proximal end of the tension cable has a radial expansion for retaining the articulating links on the tension cable;
wherein the disposable subassembly is configured to attach to a reusable subassembly which is comprised of:
a domed plate configured to be coupled to a fixture, wherein the domed plate has a hollow dome portion with a top aperture;
a barrel-shaped main body having a longitudinal passage, a bottom cavity having a bottom opening and a distal opening, and a cup-shaped flange around the bottom opening configured to nest with an upper surface of the domed portion;
a rotator base disposed in the top aperture and comprising an inverted T-bar captured in the hollow dome, an upper hub rotationally mounted in the bottom cavity, and a deflector surface disposed in the bottom cavity;
a nosepiece slidable in a distal end portion of the longitudinal passage and having a distal surface configured to bear against a proximal end of the articulating links, wherein the nosepiece includes a plunger arm slidably extending into the bottom cavity to slide on the deflector surface of the rotator base;
a drawbar disposed in the longitudinal passage, wherein a distal end of the drawbar has a retainer configured to releasably capture the proximal end of the tension cable; and
a handle having a distal end disposed in the longitudinal passage and movably coupled to the drawbar for manually sliding the drawbar in a longitudinal direction to control a tension applied to the tension cable between a partially loaded state and a fully loaded state;

wherein when the tension cable is in the partially loaded state then the articulating links are movable at the mating surfaces; and
wherein when the tension cable is in the fully loaded state then the articulating links are locked at the mating surfaces.