US Patent 9999345 Drop in surgical illuminator

An illumination system for adjustably positioning an illuminator in a surgical field in a patient includes an anchor element and an illumination element. The anchor element is configured to be releasably coupled with the patient, and the illumination element is coupled to the anchor element. The anchor element or the illumination element is configured to be coupled, uncoupled, and recoupled with the patient or adjacent surgical equipment. This allows repositioning of the illumination element at a plurality of positions in the surgical field without interfering with adjacent surgical instruments, and further permits adjustment of illumination in the surgical field.