US Patent 8062217 Surgical retractor with removable blades and method of use

Disclosed herein are various embodiments that related to a surgical retractor. In certain embodiments, the retractor may include a blade holder with a single blade tilting mechanism capable of adjusting the angle of a plurality of pivoting blades relative to the blade holder. In certain embodiments, the adjustment occurs from the proximal face or top of the retractor. In other embodiments, blade supports are used to couple the blade holder to a variety of removable blades of different lengths. In certain embodiments, the blades may be a translucent material capable of transmitting light from a proximal portion of the blade to a distal portion. In some embodiments, the distance between the blade holder and the removable blades may be adjusted.