US Patent 11911016 Lateral access retractor and core insertion

In one embodiment, the present disclosure relates to a retractor apparatus that includes a retractor frame, five arms attached to the retractor frame and five rods each attached to one of the five arms. Each rod includes a convex surface facing a center of the retractor frame. At least two of the five rods are movable independently from one another. A first rod of the five rods includes a longitudinal axis and is translatable along the longitudinal axis. Further, the first rod is attached to a first arm of the five arms and is pivotable relative to the first arm. The axis of pivot is offset from the longitudinal axis through which the first rod translates.