Method and apparatus for temporarily immobilizing a local area of tissue

Abstract

The invention is a method and apparatus for performing beating heart surgery, in which a single articulating arm supports multiple suction pods. Once the suction pods are applied to the heart surface, tightening a cable fixes the arm in place. Then, the suction pods may be spread apart from each other to tighten the surface of the cardiac tissue lying between the suction pods. In one embodiment, fixation of the arm as well as the spreading apart of the suction pods may occur concurrently or almost concurrently through the tensioning of a single cable. Additional embodiments of the method, system and its components are shown.

1 - 24 . (canceled)  
   
   
       25 . A device for engaging tissue comprising: 
 an arm having a proximal end and a distal end;    a tissue-contacting member coupled to the distal end of the arm, the tissue-contacting member having at least one surface for engaging tissue; and    a clamp coupled to the proximal end of the arm for fixing the arm to a retractor, the clamp comprising a mount and a slideable jaw coupled to the mount, the mount and the slideable jaw defining an opening which may very in width for receiving a retractor element, the slideable jaw being spring biased relative to the mount to slideably urge the jaw toward a clamping engagement with the retractor element within the opening and being movable against the spring bias to slideably withdraw the jaw and thereby release the retractor element, and a manually operable cam mechanism for locking the jaw relative to the mount.