Patent ID: 7922657

Claim:
A surgical retractor for use in a surgical procedure on an incised heart having a mitral valve and pulmonary veins that communicate with the left atrium, comprising: a handle defining an axis and having first and second ends; and a large, elongate blade having a proximal portion and a distal portion, the proximal portion being secured to the second end of the handle and being co-planar with the axis of the handle, the distal portion being configured to extend toward and across the mitral valve and to contact the mitral valve, tissue adjacent to the mitral valve, and the lower annulus of the mitral valve, the distal portion having a length within the range of from about 7.5 cm to about 19 cm and a width within the range of from about 3.2 cm to about 5 cm, the distal portion projecting from the proximal portion at an angle in the range of about 20 to about 95 degrees measured in an anticlockwise direction relative to the axis of the handle, whereby the distal portion is generally L-shaped relative to the axis of the handle, the distal portion generally lying in a single plane and defining a tip portion, the tip portion having a configuration of the left atrium in the region of the lower annulus of the mitral valve, whereby the configuration allows for decreased and delocalized pressure on the mitral valve and adjacent tissue, the tip portion having opposed ends and a center portion, the ends being out of the plane in which the distal portion lies and being disposed closer to the handle than the center portion, whereby retracting the handle causes the blade to contact and retract the mitral valve and the adjacent tissue.