Patent ID: 7824332

Claim:
A method for sternal retraction, comprising: a) determining whether a sternal retractor is to be used with a curved bar nearer the abdomen or the head of a patient; b) in response to determining that the sternal retractor is to be used with the curved arm nearer the head of the patient, performing the following steps c) through f): c) assembling the sternal retractor with a pair of arms extending outward from a first side of the curved bar, wherein moving the arms apart along the bar causes the arms to be angled away from each other; and with a distal portion of one of the arms, pivotally mounted on a proximal portion of the arm, held in a first position so that blades of the arms are parallel to one another with the arms moved together along the curved bar, d) placing the sternal retractor on the patient with the curved bar nearer the head of the patient and with the blades of the arms extending toward the abdomen and into a split within the sternum of the patient; e) moving the distal portion to a second position, angled outward from the other arm; and f) spreading the arms along the curved bar to complete sternal retraction; g) in response to determining that the sternal retractor is to be used with the curved bar nearer the abdomen of the patient, performing the following steps g) through k): h) assembling the sternal retractor with a pair of arms extending outward from a second side of the curved bar, opposite the first side, wherein moving the arms apart along the bar causes the arms to be angled toward each other; and with a distal portion of one of the arms, pivotally mounted on a proximal portion of the arm, held in a third position, with the blades of the arms parallel to one another with the arms moved together along the curved bar, i) placing the sternal retractor on the patient with the curved bar nearer the abdomen of the patient and with the blades of the arms extending into a split within the sternum of the patient; and j) spreading the arms farther along the curved bar to complete sternal retraction.