Three-prong retractor with elastomeric sheath

1. A retractor comprising:

a first supporting member, the first supporting member having a first rectangular slot communicating with a first round opening;

a second supporting member coupled to said first supporting member for selective translational movement of said first and second supporting members in a direction towards and away from each other;

a holding arm connected to said second supporting member on an axis;

a first retaining member attached to the holding arm, the first retaining member having a second rectangular slot communicating with a second round opening;

a second retaining member attached to the holding arm, the second retaining member having a third rectangular slot communicating with a third round opening;

a medial blade attached to said first supporting member, the medial blade having a distal end remote from the first supporting member, the medial blade having a first post, at least one first flat formed on the first post to allow the first post to slide in the first rectangular slot for quick and easy assembly and disassembly of the medial blade to the first supporting member; and

a first lateral blade attached to the first retaining member and a second lateral blade attached to the second retaining member, each of said lateral blades having a distal end remote from said holding arm, and the lateral blades having a first drive screw and a second drive screw attached thereto, wherein operating the first drive screw simultaneously moves the distal ends toward and away from each other in a plane that intersects the direction of the translational movement of said first supporting member and said second supporting member, and operating the second drive screw simultaneously rotates the distal ends of the lateral blades away from the medial blade, and wherein the first lateral blade has a second post, at least one second flat formed on the second post to allow the second post to slide in the second rectangular slot for quick and easy assembly and disassembly of the first lateral blade to the first retaining member, and wherein the second lateral blade has a third post, and at least one third flat formed on the third post to allow the third post to slide in the third rectangular slot for quick and easy assembly and disassembly of the second lateral blade to the second retaining member.

2. The retractor of claim 1 wherein an actuator rotates the holding arm in a transverse plane.

3. The retractor of claim 1 wherein said medial blade and said lateral blades are surrounded by a sheath.

4. The retractor of claim 3 wherein said sheath is an elastomeric sheath.

5. The retractor of claim 1 wherein said medial blade is pivotally connected to the first supporting member and said lateral blades are pivotally connected to said holding arm.

6. The retractor of claim 3 wherein said elastomeric sheath is at least partially transparent or translucent.

7. The retractor of claim 1 wherein said lateral blades and said medial blade are made of a polymer.

8. The retractor of claim 1 wherein said medial blade and said lateral blades are composed of aluminum.

9. The retractor of claim 1 wherein at least one of said blades is shorter than at least one other blade to accommodate the anatomy of a surgical site in which the retractor is adapted to be used.

10. The retractor of claim 9 wherein the medial blade is shorter than the pair of lateral blades.

11. The retractor of claim 9 wherein the lateral blades are shorter than the medial blade.

12. The retractor of claim 1 wherein at least one of the lateral blades or the medial blade has a tapered distal end.

13. The retractor of claim 1 wherein at least one of the two lateral blades or the medial blade is curved in a horizontal plane.

14. A retractor comprising:

(a) a first supporting member, the first supporting member having a first rectangular slot communicating with a first round opening;

(b) a second supporting member coupled to said first supporting member;

(c) a holding arm connected to said second supporting member on an axis;

(d) a first retaining member attached to the holding arm, the first retaining member having a second rectangular slot communicating with a second round opening;

(e) a second retaining member attached to the holding arm, the second retaining member having a third rectangular slot communicating with a third round opening;

(f) a medial blade attached to said first supporting member at a proximal end and having a distal end remote to the first supporting member, the medial blade having a first post, at least one first flat formed on the first post to allow the first post to slide in the first rectangular slot for quick and easy assembly and disassembly of the medial blade to the first supporting member;

(g) a first and a second lateral blade attached to a first and a second retaining member respectively, each of said lateral blades having an end remote from said holding arm, and wherein the first lateral blade has a second post, at least one second flat formed on the second post to allow the second post to slide in the second rectangular slot for quick and easy assembly and disassembly of the first lateral blade to the first retaining member, and wherein the second lateral blade has a third post, and at least one third flat formed on the third post to allow the third post to slide in the third rectangular slot for quick and easy assembly and disassembly of the second lateral blade to the second retaining member;

(h) means for moving the second supporting member away from the first supporting member;

(i) means for simultaneously moving the ends of the lateral blades away from each other; and

(j) means for simultaneously rotating the ends of the lateral blades away from the distal end of the medial blade.

15. The retractor of claim 14 wherein the medial blade and the pair of lateral blades are surrounded by a sheath.

16. The retractor of claim 14 wherein the medial blade is shorter than the pair of lateral blades.