Patent ID: 8568306

Claim:
A method for accessing a surgical site, the method comprising: (a) inserting a first retractor into a first tissue to retract the first tissue, the first retractor including a distal end of the first retractor, and a proximal end of the first retractor; (b) forming an opening in a second tissue distal to the distal end of the first retractor; (c) engaging a second retractor having a set of blades with a distal end of a retractor inserter; (d) advancing said distal end of the retractor inserter through the proximal end of the first retractor to place at least a distal end of the second retractor into the opening in the second tissue; wherein a proximal end of the second retractor is placed distal to the proximal end of the first retractor; (e) transferring torque from a proximal end of the retractor inserter to the second retractor to increase at least one distance between a set of distal ends of the set of blades to enlarge the opening in the second tissue; and (f) disengaging the distal end of the retractor inserter from the second retractor and removing the refractor inserter from the first retractor to leave the expanded second retractor in the second tissue with the distal ends of the set of blades maintaining the opening in the second tissue.