The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
May. 13, 2014
Filed:
Jan. 26, 2011
Richard D. Bucholz, Ladue, MO (US);
Richard D. Bucholz, Ladue, MO (US);
St. Louis University, St. Louis, MO (US);
Abstract
A surgical distractor for distracting tissue of a patient to access structure underlying the tissue of the patient. The distractor includes a tube having a distal end adapted for insertion in tissue, a proximal end opposite the distal end, an exterior surface adapted for contacting the tissue, and an interior surface opposite the exterior surface defining a hollow interior extending between the distal end and the proximal end for accessing structure underlying the tissue when the distal end is inserted in the tissue. The distractor is adjustable from a reduced configuration, in which the tube has a reduced width sized for inserting the distal end in the tissue, and an expanded configuration, in which the tube has an expanded width greater than the reduced width sized to provide the hollow interior with a size sufficient for accessing the structure underlying the tissue.