Patent ID: 8137268

Claim:
A method for holding a hollow internal organ in a desired location during a medical procedure, the method comprising: providing at least one retractor device and at least one gripper element, wherein said gripper element and said retractor device each include a magnetic member, at least one of said magnetic members comprising a first magnet, and the other of said magnetic members comprising a second magnet or a non-magnetized magnetically permeable member; placing said retractor device into a lumen of the organ of a patient undergoing the medical procedure without attaching said retractor device directly to the organ; locating said gripper element outside a body cavity of the patient; bringing said magnetic members of said gripper element and said retractor device into proximity, with a wall of the hollow organ and a body wall of the patient captured between said retractor device and said gripper element; and holding said gripper element at a location that exerts a force on the hollow internal organ to secure it in the desired location.