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EP0201160A2
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Malleable force-fulcrum retractor
Assignee: Surgical Dynamics Inc
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Filing: 1986-02-24
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2006-02-24
Abstract
Abstract A Taylor-type force-fulcrum retractor (10) has a broad malleable band (12) which is readily shaped by hand to fit any situation and yet holds that shape against forces that may be applied to pull the muscles away from the centre of an incision. The force-fulcrum retractor is particularly useful in spinal surgery and may have a claw-like spike or spikes (14) which penetrate the surface of a bone within the incision to establish an extraordinarily secure fulcrum.
Inventors
- 👤 Charles D. Ray
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-08 06:57
CPC Classifications
A; A61; A61B; A61B17/00; A61B17/02
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 8
Claim 1
Independent Claim
79 words
Force-fulcrum retractor comprising a broad band . having at one end at least one point to establish a fulcrum within a surgical incision, characterized in that: the material of the band is sufficiently malleable so that the band can readily be bent by hand to a desired shape while being sufficiently stiff to hold that shape against a retractile force applied to the other end of the band to pull the muscles away from the center of the incision.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
79 words
Force-fulcrum retractor comprising a broad band . having at one end at least one point to establish a fulcrum within a surgical incision, characterized in that: the material of the band is sufficiently malleable so that the band can readily be bent by hand to a desired shape while being sufficiently stiff to hold that shape against a retractile force applied to the other end of the band to pull the muscles away from the center of the incision.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
29 words
Force-fulcrum retractor as defined in claim 1 and further characterized in that said point is a rigid spike fixed to and projecting beyond said one end of the band.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
48 words
Force-fulcrum retractor as defined in claim 2 and further characterized in that the spike has a circular cross section and is in the form of a claw which is gently curved so that its point extends at an acute angle with the said one end of the band.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
28 words
Force-fulcrum retractor as defined in preceding claims 2 or 3 and further characterized in that each spike is formed with a flat which is fixed to the band.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
42 words
Force-fulcrum retractor as defined in any of preceding claims 2-4 and further characterized in that each spike has a diameter of at least 2 mm except at the apex and projects from 0.5 to 1.25 cm beyond the end of the band.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
26 words
Force-fulcrum retractor as defined in any preceding claim and further characterized in that the band is soft stainless steel having a thickness of approximately 1 mm.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
58 words
Force-fulcrum retractor as defined in any preceding claim and further characterized in that the material of the band is selected so that when the retractor is bent to a curved shape and its fulcrum point is inserted into an incision, a weight of 2 kg suspended from the free end of the retractor does not change its shape.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
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