Surgical retractor utilizing elastic tubes frictionally held in spaced notches

Abstract

A surgical retractor, which includes a frame conformed to fit the surface contour of the portion of the body to be operated on and at least one stay which includes an elastic member and tissue holding means. The frame has a plurality of notches spaced about its periphery and the elastic member of the stay is adapted to be inserted into one of the notches and held in place by friction to retract the tissue.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A surgical retractor for use in performing surgery upon a portion of the body having a surface contour, which comprises: a generally annular frame conformed to fit the surface contour of the portion of the body to be operated upon, said frame having a periphery, said periphery having a plurality of notches having a width and depth spaced thereabout;   a stay which includes an elastic member having a length and a width and tissue holding means attached thereto, wherein the width of said elastic member is greater than the width of said notches such that said elastic member is held in place by friction when inserted into one of said notches; and   said elastic member includes a section of .Iadd.hollow .Iaddend.elastic tubing and said tissue holding means including a hook having a handle portion inserted in said tubing. .Iadd.   
     
     
       2.  A surgical retractor for use in performing surgery upon a portion of the body having a surface contour, which comprises: a generally annular frame conformed to fit the surface contour of the portion of the body to be operated upon, said frame having a periphery, said periphery having a plurality of slots having a width and depth spaced thereabout;   a stay which includes an hollow elastic tubular member having a length and a width and tissue holding means attached thereto, wherein the width of said elastic member is greater than the width of said slots such that said elastic member is held in place by friction when inserted into one of said slots; and   said tissue holding means including a hook having an handle portion connected to one end of said elastic member. .Iaddend. .Iadd.3. A surgical retractor comprising a frame of rigid material for placing directly on a patient to be supported by the patient and shaped to at least partially surround a surgical wound in a patient undergoing surgery, said frame including outwardly extending flange portion and a spacer portion to hold the flange portion spaced from the patient, a plurality of stays for holding the wound open, each of said stays including an elongated, flexible, hollow elastic tubular member having a hook attached to one end to engage the side of a surgical wound and pull it away from the other side under the force of the elastic member, and a plurality of spaced slots in the outer edge of the flange portion of the frame into which the elastic member may be inserted to hold the desired tension in the elastic member by frictional engagement of the elastic member and the slot. .Iaddend. .Iadd.4. The retractor of claim 3 in which the frame includes a portion that is pivotally connected to the frame to allow the portion to pivot to a selected position out of the plane of the frame. .Iaddend.   
     
     
        .Iadd.5.  The retractor of claim 3 in which each stay includes a flat sided handle portion adjacent the hook. .Iaddend. .Iadd.6. The retractor of claim 5 in which the hook includes a recurved portion inserted into the end of the hollow elastic member. .Iaddend. .Iadd.7. A surgical retractor comprising a frame of rigid material for placing directly on a patient to be supported by the patient and shaped to at least partially surround a surgical wound in a patient undergoing surgery, said frame including outwardly extending flange portion and a spacer portion to hold the flange portion spaced from the patient to allow hooks connected to one end of elongated hollow elastic tubular members to exert the desired force on the wound to hold it open by tensioning the elongated elastic members and threading the elastic member through one of the slots into the space between the patient and the flange where it is held by friction between the slot and the elastic member. .Iaddend. .Iadd.8. The retractor of claim 3 in which the frame includes a portion that is pivotally connected to the frame to allow the portion to pivot to a selected position out of the plane of the frame. .Iaddend.