Patent ID: 8083664

Claim:
A device for stabilizing tissue within a patient's body, said device adapted to assume a reduced configuration and an operating configuration, said device assuming said reduced configuration for passage through a small opening to deliver a working end of said device to a site of the tissue to be stabilized, said device comprising: a base member having a distal end portion and a proximal end portion; first and second contact members extending distally and directly from said distal end portion of said base member and a joint member extending proximally from said proximal end portion of said base member, said contact members being mounted for rotation with respect to said base member; said contact members each having a contact surface adapted to contact a surface of the tissue, and said joint member being configured to mate with a mating joint member of a support arm to allow articulation of said base member relative to said support arm, and wherein locations of said distal end portion that said contact members extend from are not movable relative to each other as the device moves from a reduced configuration to an operating configuration: wherein when said device is in said operating configuration, said contact surfaces face in a direction to contact the tissue, and when in said reduced configuration, said contact members have been rotated with respect to one another so that said contact surfaces substantially face one another; said first and second contact members extending along first and second longitudinal axes, respectively, wherein said first and second longitudinal axes of said first and second contact members remain parallel to one another when moving from said reduced configuration to said operating configuration; wherein said first and second contact members rotate about said first and second longitudinal axes, respectively, and wherein said first and second contact members are further mounted for tilting with respect to said base member about an axis that is normal to said first and second longitudinal axes; wherein when in said reduced configuration, said contact members are substantially aligned with a longitudinal axis of said device, and wherein when in said operating configuration, said contact members are angled with respect to said longitudinal axis of said device; and wherein said contact members are biased about said axis that is normal to said first and second longitudinal axes toward said operating configuration.