Surgical retractor

• US 5,860,987 A
• Filed: 12/10/1996
• Issued: 01/19/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 10/04/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: United States Surgical Corporation (Medtronic Plc)
• Original Assignee: United States Surgical Corporation (Medtronic Plc)
• Inventors: Milliman, Keith L., Sienkiewicz, Henry R., Ratcliff, Keith
• Primary Examiner(s): Brown, Michael A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Koo, Benjamin K.
• Application Number:
  US08/762,514
• Time in Patent Office: 770 Days
• Field of Search: 606/106, 606/110, 606/113, 606/114, 606/127, 606/108
• US Class Current: 606/113
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/0218 for minimally invasive surgery A61B17/0281, A61B17/0469, A61B17/12013, A61B17/1285, A61B17/29, A61B17/320016 take precedence

Abstract

A surgical retractor device for manipulating organs during an endoscopic or laparoscopic surgical procedure. The retractor device includes a loop of material at a distal end of the instrument which is extendable and retractable from the elongated body portion of the instrument. The loop of material may be detached to be wrapped about an organ and reattached to secure the organ. Once the organ is secured, the loop of material may be retracted into the body portion of the instrument to manipulate the organ.

Claims

1. A retractor comprising:

an elongated body portion;

an actuator mechanism at least partially disposed at a proximal end of said body portion;

a loop of material having first and second segments and being disposed at a distal end of said body portion, said loop of material being extendable and retractable with respect to said body portion in resconse to said actuator; and

a coupling mechanism for separating said loop of material into said first and second at least two segments, said coupling mechanism including keyway connection means between said loop segments, for permitting reconnection of said first and second loop of material.

2. A retractor according to claim 1, further comprising a handle member for gripping said retractor, said actuator mechanism being disposed at least partially in said handle member.

3. A retractor according to claim 2, wherein said actuator mechanism includes a rotatable knob disposed on said handle member, said knob being operatively connected to a drive screw member disposed in said handle member for extending and retracting said loop of material from said body portion.

4. A retractor according to claim 1, wherein said body portion includes an outer tube member and an inner rod member slidably disposed therein, said loop of material being at least partially disposed on a distal end of said inner rod member and movable with said inner rod member in response to said actuator mechanism.

5. A retractor according to claim 3, wherein said actuator mechanism includes a rotatable knob being operatively connected to said inner rod member to extend and retract said loop of material from said body portion.

6. An endoscopic instrument comprising:

a handle portion having an actuator mechanism at partially disposed therein;

an elongated body portion extending from said handle portion, said body portion including an inner member slidable within an outer tubular member; and

a grasping mechanism disposed at a distal end of said inner member remote from said handle portion, said grasping mechanism formed from a loop of material havina first and second ends, said first loop end being fixedly secured to the distal end of said inner member and the second loop end being detachably secured to the distal end of said inner member;

wherein said grasping mechanism is movable between an retracted position in which said loop is substantially disposed within said outer tubular member, and an extended position in which said loop extends substantially outside said tubular member, said second end of said loop being detachable from the distal end of said inner member when said grasping mechanism is in said extended position.

7. An endoscopic instrument according to claim 6, further comprising a spring member disposed at the distal end of said inner member and attaching structure disposed at said loop second end adapted to be releasably engaged by said spring member.

8. An endoscopic instrument according to claim 6, wherein said inner member is slidable within said outer tubular member in response to movement of said actuator mechanism.

9. An endoscopic instrument according to claim 8, wherein said actuator mechanism comprises a rotatable knob member disposed on said handle portion, said inner member being coupled to said knob member through a drive screw assembly disposed in said handle portion.

12. An endoscopic instrument according to claim 7, wherein said spring member has proximal and distal end portions and said spring proximal end portion is fixedly secured to the distal end of said inner member and the spring distal end portion is free to releasably engage the attaching structure disposed at said loop second end.

13. An endoscopic instrument according to claim 12, wherein the attaching structure is a bullet-shaped clip.

10. An instrument comprising:

a tubular body portion;

an actuator mechanism at least partially disposed at a proximal end of the tubular body portion, the actuator mechanism including an inner rod member having proximal and distal end portions;

an elongate endoscopic portion extending distally from the tubular body portion, the inner rod member being longitudinally slidable within the elongate endosocpic portion;

a grasping loop having first and second ends, said first end being fixedly secured to the distal end of the inner rod member; and

a connector mechanism at least partially associated with the distal end of the inner rod member, the connector mechanism including a clip secured to the second end of the grasping loop and a spring secured to the distal end of the inner rod member, the spring being adapted to releasably engage and retain the clip;

wherein said grasping loop is movable in response to said actuator mechanism from a first position, wherein at least a portion of the grasping loop is disposed within said body portion to a second position, wherein a portion of the grasping loop that was disposed within said body portion in said first position is disposed outside said body portion.

11. An endoscopic instrument according to claim 10, wherein the spring moves from a first position to a second position upon longitudinal movement of the inner rod member.