Patent ID: 11957329
Assignee: SIMPLE INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS, LLC
Field: Medical technology (Instruments)
Classification: CPC A | IPC A

Claim 9:
10. A method of retracting tissue, the method comprising:
positioning a C-shaped first arm of a retractor assembly against a first portion of a tissue, wherein the C-shaped first arm comprises a first plate and a second plate that are separated from each other by a first spacing distance and wherein the first plate and the second plate extend in parallel along a majority of a length of a C-shape of the C-shaped first arm;
positioning a C-shaped second arm of the retractor assembly against a second portion of the tissue, wherein the C-shaped second arm comprises a third plate and a fourth plate that are separated from each other by a second spacing distance, wherein the third plate and the fourth plate extend in parallel along a majority of a length of a C-shape of the C-shaped second arm,
wherein the first and second spacing distances are between 0.5 mm and 2 cm; and
ratcheting the C-shaped first arm relative to the C-shaped second arm by pivoting the C-shaped first arm relative to the C-shaped second arm in a plane that is parallel to the first plate, the second plate, the third plate and the fourth plate, and engaging a ratcheting lock to prevent reduction of an angle between the C-shaped first arm and the C-shaped second arm until a release is activated, while allowing the angle between the C-shaped first arm and the C-shaped second arm to be increased.