Patent ID: 8211012

Claim:
A tissue retractor system for maintaining and adjusting the size of an incision during a minimally invasive surgical procedure, the tissue retractor system comprising: a first arm extending from a support assembly, the first arm comprising a proximal span connected to the support assembly, a distal span and a blade support between the proximal span and the distal span; a second arm extending from the support assembly, the second arm comprising a proximal span connected to the support assembly, a distal span and a blade support between the proximal span and the distal span; a third arm extending from a support mechanism, the third arm comprising a proximal span connected to the support mechanism, a distal span and a blade support between the proximal span and the distal span; and a fourth arm extending from the support mechanism, the fourth arm comprising a proximal span connected to the support mechanism, a distal span and a blade support between the proximal span and the distal span, wherein the third and fourth arms extend generally perpendicularly to the first and second arms in a nested arrangement above the first and second arms, with the third arm free to move laterally relative to the distal spans of the first and second arms in a direction generally parallel to the first and second arms, and with the fourth arm free to move laterally relative to the proximal spans of the first and second arms in a direction generally parallel to the first and second arms.