Patent ID: 7018328

Claim:
A tissue stabilizer that comprises a malleable planar foot having an open central region; a rigid arm connected to the foot; a membrane integrated with the foot and having a shape approximating the foot, a lower section having a bottom surface for contacting the tissue to be stabilized, and an upper section opposite the lower section; an inner chamber in the membrane; a plurality of suction ports on the bottom surface, the suction ports in fluid communication with the inner chamber through an opening; an outlet port connecting the inner chamber and suction ports to a negative pressure source; and a centrally-located open region through which the tissue to be stabilized can be accessed, the stabilizer being designed so that when the bottom surface of the membrane is positioned on a tissue to be stabilized and a negative pressure is applied to the outlet port, the bottom surface tends to conform to the surface contour of the tissue to be stabilized through the action of suction by the ports and compression by the foot.