Abstract:
A surgical retractor system comprises a support frame and an instrument mounting assembly. The instrument mounting assembly includes a fastening member for securing the mounting assembly to the support frame, a loading member for attaching to the mounting assembly, and a lockable rotational member providing for rotational or angular motion of the instruments about the support frame.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   Even with the advent of minimally invasive surgical techniques, many surgical procedures still require an exposed surgical field for the surgeon to successfully perform. Often, the greater the visibility and access a surgeon has to a surgical site, the greater the probability that a successful outcome will result. Once entry is made into a patient, soft tissue is dissected away further exposing the field. However, the exposed field must be maintained using instruments that do not obstruct either visual or physical access. 
   Surgical retractors are used to maintain exposure and access to a surgical field. There are a variety of retractors, and different surgical protocols require different styles of retractors. For example, in lumbar surgery the retractor needs to be strong enough to overcome the force exerted by the large muscle mass that has been dissected away from the field of exposure, while maintaining a visual field and access by the surgeon. Additionally, retractors are required to partition other soft-tissue components of the surgical field. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   The invention is generally related to surgical retractor system. As such, there is provided a surgical retractor blade and system useful for surgical procedures. The surgical retractor system comprises a support frame and an instrument mounting assembly. The instrument mounting assembly includes a fastening member for securing the mounting assembly to the support frame, a loading member for attaching to the mounting assembly, and a lockable rotational member providing for rotational or angular motion of the instruments about the support frame. 
   The surgical retractor system further comprises an adjustable blade holder attached to the loading member of the mounting assembly, and a retraction blade attached to the adjustable blade holder. The blade holder includes a moveable handle, a shaft for engaging the loading member of the mounting assembly, and an adjustable retention clip for securing the retraction blade in a fixed position. 
   The moveable handle slides in a perpendicular plane relative to a vertical axis of the retraction blade controls an amount of tissue retraction. The moveable handle also rotates about an axis of the shaft to control adjustment of the adjustable retention clip. The shaft can be a ratchet bar. 
   The retraction blade includes markings associated with a unit of measure, such as metric units or imperial units. The retraction blade can be radiolucent. The fastening member can be a thumbscrew, a wing screw, and a thumb wing screw. The loading member can be a ratchet-type assembly, such as a pawl assembly. The lockable rotational member can be a ball and socket-type assembly. 
   The retractor blades of the invention allow for rotational or angular motion about a support frame. Further, the height of the retractor blades inside the surgical cavity is adjustable. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a partial surgical retractor system of the present invention; 
       FIG. 2A  is a perspective view of a mounting assembly of the surgical retractor system of  FIG. 1 ; 
       FIG. 2B  is an exploded, disassembled view of the mounting assembly shown in  FIG. 2A ; 
       FIG. 2C  is a cross-sectional view of the mounting assembly shown in  FIG. 2A ; 
       FIG. 3  is a perspective view of a partial surgical retractor system according to another embodiment of the invention; 
       FIG. 4A  is a perspective view of a mounting assembly of the surgical retractor system of  FIG. 3 ; 
       FIG. 4B  is an exploded, disassembled view of the mounting assembly shown in  FIG. 4A ; 
       FIG. 4C  is a cross-sectional view of the mounting assembly shown in  FIG. 4A ; 
       FIG. 5  is a perspective view of a partial surgical retractor system according to a further embodiment of the invention; 
       FIG. 6A  is a perspective view of a mounting assembly of the surgical retractor system of  FIG. 5 ; 
       FIG. 6B  is an exploded, disassembled view of the mounting assembly shown in  FIG. 6A ; 
       FIG. 6C  is a cross-sectional view of the mounting assembly shown in  FIG. 6A ; 
       FIG. 7  is a perspective view of a partial surgical retractor system according to another embodiment of the invention; 
       FIG. 8  is a perspective view of a ratchet holder assembly shown in  FIG. 7 ; 
       FIG. 9A  is a perspective view of a blade holder assembly of the present invention; 
       FIG. 9B  is an exploded, disassembled view of the blade holder assembly shown in  FIG. 9A ; and 
       FIG. 10  is a perspective view of a retractor blade of to the present invention. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
   The foregoing and other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following more particular description of preferred embodiments of the invention, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which like reference characters refer to the same parts throughout the different views. The same number appearing in different drawings represent the same item. The drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon illustrating the principles of the invention. 
   Referring now to  FIG. 1 , there is shown a partial surgical retractor system  100  of the present invention. The retractor system  100  is attached to an operating table (not shown) in a manner well known to those having ordinary skill in the art. The retractor system  100  includes a frame  110 , which is preferably suspended above the patient (not shown), a mounting assembly  120  attached to the frame  110 , the mounting assembly  120  includes a ratchet holder assembly  160  rotatably attached to the mounting assembly  120 , a blade holder assembly  180  slidably attached to the ratchet holder assembly  160 , and a retractor blade  200  slidably attached to the blade holder assembly  180 . It should be understood by one skilled in the art that other surgical instruments can also be mounted to the mounting assembly during a surgical procedure. The system  100  may also include a supporting arm (not shown) which may be connected to a support post (not shown) or similar elements to affix and support the retractor system in a desired position. 
   As shown in  FIGS. 2A ,  2 B, and  2 C, the mounting assembly  120  includes a mounting base  122 , the mounting base  122  defines a frame channel  124 , recessed bores  126 ,  132 , and a socket  130 . The frame slot  124  accepts the frame  110  of  FIG. 1 . A driver handle assembly  128  engages a locking assembly  136  through recessed bore  126 . When the driver handle assembly  128  is tightened in manner well known in the art, a nub  138  of the locking assembly  136  engages and secures the mounting assembly  120  to the frame  110  of  FIG. 1 . The socket  130  accepts a rotational ball  164  of the ratchet holder assembly  160 . A tapered portion  135  of a locking rod assembly  134  engages the rotational ball  164  through the recessed bore  132 . When the locking rod assembly  134  is tightened in a manner well known in the art, the tapered portion  135  secures the ratchet holder assembly  160  in a desired position relative to the mounting base  122 . However, when the locking rod assembly  134  is loosened, the ratchet holder assembly  160  can be freely rotated and angled relative to the mounting base  122 . It should be understood by one skilled in the art that the driver handle assembly  128 , and the locking rod assembly  134  can be any type of hand-operable tightening/loosening device, such as a thumb screw, wing screw, and fly screw. 
   The ratchet holder assembly  160  includes a ratchet base  162 , a rotational ball  164  extended from the mounting base  162  by extension  165 , and a latching mechanism  168 . The ratchet base  162  defines a shaft channel  166  for accepting the blade holder assembly  180  ( FIG. 1 ) therethrough. The latching mechanism  168  includes a gear assembly (not shown) which extends into shaft channel  166  for engaging a geared shaft of the blade holder assembly  180  of  FIG. 1 . When engaged, the latching mechanism  168  allows the geared shaft of blade holder assembly  180  ( FIG. 1 ) to be incrementally moved in a direction away from the surgical site. When disengaged, the shaft of blade holder assembly  130  ( FIG. 1 ) is freely moveable throughout the shaft channel  166 . The latching mechanism  168  can be of any type well known in the art, such as a pawl assembly. 
     FIGS. 3 ,  4 A,  4 B and  4 C illustrate an alternative embodiment of the mounting assembly of the invention. As shown in  FIGS. 3A ,  3 B, and  3 C, the mounting assembly  120 ′ includes a mounting base  122 , the mounting base  122  defines a frame slot  124 , recessed bores  126 ,  132 , and a socket  130 . The frame slot  124  accepts the frame  110  of  FIG. 3 . A driver handle assembly includes a locking assembly  136 ′ and engages the recessed bore  126 . When the driver handle assembly  128  is tightened in manner well known in the art, the locking assembly  136 ′ engages and secures the frame  110  of  FIG. 3 . The remaining features of the mounting assembly  120 ′ operate in a similar fashion to mounting assembly  120  of  FIGS. 1 ,  2 A,  2 B, and  2 C described above. 
     FIGS. 5 ,  6 A,  6 B and  6 C illustrate a further embodiment of the mounting assembly of the invention. As shown in  FIGS. 6A ,  6 B, and  6 C, the mounting assembly  120 ″ includes a mounting base  122 , the mounting base  122  defines a frame channel  124 , recessed bores  126 ,  129 , and a partial socket  130 ′. The frame channel  124  accepts the frame  110  of  FIG. 5 . The partial socket  130 ′ accepts a rotational ball  164  of the ratchet holder assembly  160 . The ratchet holder  160  assembly is held in rotatable and angular connection with the mounting base  122  by a socket enclosure  125 . Mounting bolts  127  attach the socket enclosure  125  to the mounting base  122  through recessed holes  129 . The frame channel  124  accepts the frame  110  of  FIG. 5 . A driver handle assembly  128  includes a locking assembly  136 ″ and engages the recessed bore  126 . When the driver handle assembly  128  is tightened in manner well known in the art, the locking assembly  136 ″ engages and secures rotational ball  164  and the frame  110  of  FIG. 3 . The remaining features of the mounting assembly  120 ″ operate in a similar fashion to mounting assembly  120  of  FIGS. 1 ,  2 A,  2 B, and  2 C described above. 
     FIGS. 7 and 8  illustrate another alternative embodiment of the mounting assembly of the invention. As shown in  FIG. 7 , the mounting assembly  120 ′″ includes a mounting base  122 , the mounting base  122  defines a frame slot, a recessed bore, a ball extender  121 , a rotational ball  123  and a ratchet holder assembly  160 ′. The frame channel accepts the frame  110 . A driver handle assembly  128  engages and secures the mounting assembly  120 ′″ to the frame  110 . As shown in  FIG. 8 , the ratchet holder assembly  160 ′ includes a ratchet base  162 ′, a locking rod assembly  135 ′, and a latching mechanism  168 ′. The ratchet base  162 ′ defines a shaft slot  166 ′ and a rotatable ball channel  163 . The shaft slot  166 ′ accepts the blade holder assembly  180  ( FIG. 7 ) slidably therethrough and the rotatable ball channel  163  accepts the rotational ball  123  of the mounting assembly  120 ′″. The latching mechanism  168 ′ extends into shaft slot  166 ′ for engaging a shaft of the blade holder assembly  180  of  FIG. 7 . When engaged, the latching mechanism  168 ′ allows the shaft of blade holder assembly  180  ( FIG. 7 ) to be incrementally moved in a direction away from the surgical site to retract tissue. When disengaged, the shaft of blade holder assembly  180  ( FIG. 7 ) is freely moveable throughout the shaft slot  166 ′. The latching mechanism  168 ′ can be of any type well known in the art, such as a pawl assembly. 
     FIGS. 9A ,  9 B, and  9 C illustrate the blade holder assembly  180  of the present invention. The blade holder assembly  180  includes a handle  182 , an internal shaft  184 , and external shaft  186 , a spherical coupling  188 , a driving pin  190 , a dowel pin  192 , a locking knob  194  and a blade holder  196 . 
   The external shaft  186  defines a radial bore which houses the internal shaft  184 . The external shaft  186  includes gears  187  which engage the locking mechanism of the ratchet holder assembly described above. The external shaft  186  can be any type of geared bar known in the art, such as a ratchet bar. The spherical coupling  188  is connected to a proximal end of the external shaft  184  and houses the driving pin  190 . The driving pin  190  is connected to a proximal end of the internal shaft  184  and the handle  182  is connected to a distal end of the internal shaft  184 . A dowel pin  192  connects the driving pin  190 , internal shaft  184 , and handle  182  to the spherical coupling  188  through a dowel pin slot  189 . 
   The driving pin  190 , dowel pin  192 , internal shaft  184 , and handle  182  are moveable in the axial plane of the internal shaft  184 . The degree of movement is restricted by the length of the dowel pin slot  189 . The blade holder  196  is connected to a distal end of the spherical coupling  188  and secured to the assembly via the locking knob  194 . The blade holder  196  defines a channel  198  for accepting the retraction blade  200  and a retention bore  199  allows the driving pin  190  to engage a surface of the retraction blade  200 . 
   Now referring to  FIG. 10 , a retractor blade  200  of the present invention is shown. The retractor blade  200  can be made from a radiolucent material to allow X-rays to be taken during the surgical procedure without interference from the retraction blade  200 . The retraction blade  200  can be incremented  210  associated with a unit of measure for determining the depth of the retraction blade  200  within the surgical cavity. The units of measure can be metric, imperial or any other unit of measure known in the art. The length of the retraction blade  200  can vary between 4 and 20 inches. The retraction blades  200  are shaped to effectively hold soft tissue and vascular tissue as shown in  FIG. 10 . Further, the retraction blades  200  are relatively stiff, such that only minimal deflection occurs during retraction. 
   The operation of the surgical retractor system  100  will now be described with reference to the above-mention assemblies and figures. In general, if tissue retraction is needed, a frame is positioned over a surgical site during a surgical procedure. At least one mounting assembly is attached to the frame. However, it is preferable to diametrically attach pairs of mounting assemblies to the frame. A blade holder assembly is attached each mounting assembly and the angle of each blade holder assembly with relation to its mounting assembly is adjusted to a desired position over the surgical site. A retraction blade is inserted into the surgical cavity through each blade holder assembly while maintaining mechanical connection with its blade holder assembly. Each retraction blade is secured at a desired depth within the surgical cavity. Tissue is retracted from the surgical site by moving each blade holder assembly in a direction away from the surgical site. It may be desirable to x-ray the surgical site once the surgical site is fully distracted. To that end, each radiolucent blade can be made from a radiolucent material to prevent x-ray interference. When the surgical procedure is finished each blade holder assembly is released and the surgical retraction system is removed. 
   EQUIVALENTS 
   While this invention has been particularly shown and described with references to preferred embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the scope of the invention encompassed by the appended claims.