US Patent 7479104 Organ manipulator apparatus

Organ manipulation devices for atraumatically grasping the surface of an organ and repositioning the organ to allow access to a location on the organ that would otherwise be substantially inaccessible. Methods of accessing a beating heart, retracting the heart using an organ manipulation apparatus, and stabilizing a surgical target area with a stabilizer. Both the organ manipulator and stabilizer are fixed to a stationary object which may be a sternal retractor. A system for performing beating heart coronary artery bypass grafting includes a sternal retractor, organ manipulator and stabilizer.