1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to clamping devices that support a surgical retractor apparatus, and in particular to an operating table clamp that is built into and enclosed within a stabilizer post for supporting surgical retractor apparatus.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In clamping a stabilizer post to an operating table it is important to have a rigid connection between the operating table and the stabilizer post to insure that no movement of the post will occur during an operation.
Another consideration in an operating room is maintaining a sterile environment. The more complex the apparatus used in an operating room environment, the more opportunity there is for contamination. Exposed threads on screws and other parts of complex mechanical equipment present contamination hazards as well as posing a hazard to the staff in the operating room in terms of bumping into protruding pieces of equipment.
Sterility problems also arise when stabilizer posts are clamped directly to the operating table rail and slits are cut in the surgical drape to accommodate the post, thereby violating the barrier between the sterilized exterior above the drape and the unsterilized interior below the drape. Moving the stabilizer post presents a sterilization problem under those conditions.
Prior art devices primarily have operating table clamping means in which the clamp is separate from the post with the post sliding through the clamp or inserted in the clamp. The connection between the table and the post is weakened by a double clamp (one screw to tighten onto the table and one screw to tighten onto the post) and potential for having a loose screw is increased in addition to the hazard of having protruding screws and exposed screw threads.