referring now to the drawings in detail , and particularly to fig1 there is shown a preferred embodiment of the present invention which comprises an adjustable surgical wound protector / incision retractor ( protractor ) 10 and stiffener ring support arrangement 12 . the protractor 10 comprises a flexible sleeve of thin material , impervious to solids or fluids containing bacteria and other contaminants . the flexible sleeve of the protractor 10 has an opening at each opposed end thereof , having a first or a lower o - ring 14 at a first end 16 , and a second or upper o - ring 18 at its second end 20 . the portion of the protractor sleeve 10 extending above the wound incision “ i ” is rolled about the upper or second o - ring 18 , to reduce the longitudinal dimension of the sleeve into a tight contiguous engagement with the sides of the wound incision “ i ”. in the first preferred embodiment of the present invention , a protractor stiffening ring 12 is placed about the wound periphery , according to the size of the particular incision “ i ”, as may be seen in fig1 . the rolled - up uppermost portion 20 of the protractor sleeve 10 is inserted within a channel 22 of the protractor stiffening ring 12 . the protractor stiffening ring 12 comprises an inner flange 24 , a base portion 26 , and an outer flange 28 , which defines the channel 30 into which the rolled - up outer ring 18 and sleeve 10 is inserted . the channel 30 thus comprises an annular trough defining the periphery of the surgical site . a lip 32 extends radially outwardly from the uppermost edge of the outer flange 28 , as shown in fig1 to define a support surface for a movable blade - receiving adapter 34 . the peripheral lip 32 has a peripheral edge 36 on its outermost side having a plurality of notches 40 thereon . the movable blade - receiving adapter 34 comprises a cylindrically - shaped housing for receipt of a portion of a paddle or blade arm 42 . the paddle or blade arm 42 has a lower end 44 which extends within the opening of the incision “ i ” on the radially inside of the protractor sleeve 10 . the blade arm 42 has an elbow portion 46 which extends through a bore the movable blade adapter 34 , for engagement therewithin . the adapter 34 has an innermost lip 48 and an outermost tab 50 , for secure engagement within the notches 40 on the peripheral edge 36 of the lip 32 . thus , once the protractors level 10 is fully wound up and snuggly engaged within the channel 30 of the protractor stiffening , ring 12 , one or more movable blade adapters 34 may be secured to the top side of the stiffening ringer 12 , and retractor blades or paddles 44 may be juxtaposed therewithin to hold body organs out of the way of the surgical procedure during the treatment of the patient . a further embodiment shown in fig2 discloses an l - shaped retractor ring 58 defined by an annular base 60 , having an inner flange 62 extending upwardly therefrom . a blade support station 64 may be arranged at various spaced - apart ( i . e . approx . 30 degree ) locations about the periphery of the annular base 60 of the l - shaped protractor ring 58 , as may be seen in fig2 . the upper end of each blade support station 64 has an opening 66 therethrough , in radial alignment with the longitudinal axis of the protractor sleeve 10 about which it is disposed . a retractor blade or paddle 68 is arranged within the sleeve 10 , and may have an uppermost arm and elbow portion 70 which extends through the opening 66 of each lade support station 64 . the sleeve 10 and lower o - ring 18 are mated adjacent and below the incision “ i ” in the patient &# 39 ; s abdomen as in the aforementioned embodiment . the sleeve 10 is wound up above about the uppermost 0 - ring 18 as in the aforementioned embodiment , the wound - up sleeve 10 and upper o - ring 18 mating in with the space “ s ” between the blade support stantions 64 and the inner flange 62 of the annular base 60 . frictional engagement between the blade support stantions 64 and the inner flange 62 provides the tautness of the sleeve 10 . the retractor ring 58 provides the stiffness , as in the aforementioned embodiment , to the assembly , for support of the retractor blades and the paddles 68 in a circular pattern about the edge of the incision “ i ”. a further embodiment of the stiffening ring 74 , is shown in fig3 a . the stiffening ring 74 comprises an “ l - shaped ” combination of an annular base 76 with an upstanding flange ring 78 . the flange ring 78 has an upper lip 80 to act as an anti - slip guard . the ring 74 is arranged so as to fit about the periphery of an incision “ i ” or wound site in a generally circular manner , as shown in combination with a protractor sleeve 82 in fig3 b . the upper end of the sleeve 82 has an upper o - ring 84 which is rolled - up in the sleeve 82 and fitted over the lip 80 and into the corner of the l - shaped ring 74 for retention thereof and maintenance of the generally circular configuration of the sleeve 82 and incision “ i ” of the wound site . a further embodiment of the retractor arrangement of the present invention comprises the annular stiffener protractor ring 90 having an annular base portion 92 , similar to the aforementioned embodiment , with an inner upstanding flange wall 94 and an outer upstanding flange wall 96 . an annular channel 98 therebetween defines the trough for securing a rolled - up sleeve , not shown . a flexible resilient torroidally shaped chamber 100 may be attached to the lower side of the annular base 92 . this torriodally shaped chamber 100 provides an airtight fit between the stiffener ring 90 and the peripheral surface of the abdomen incision “ i ” about which the stiffener retainer ring 90 is placed . the to noidally - shaped chamber 100 may be filled with a resilient material or pressurizably actuated by a fluid fill conduit 102 . the outermost flange 96 may have a notch 104 circumferentially spaced around its outermost surface , so as to receive an o - ring 106 for sealing purposes . a cover or dome 108 may be arranged so as to snap over the outermost flange 96 of the stiffener ring 90 to provide containment , pressure , security and cleanliness for the surgical site . the cover or dome 108 has a peripheral lip 10 and corresponding groove 112 to engage the o - ring 106 on the outer flange 96 . the cover 108 may have a sealable instrument opening 114 therein , to permit laparoscopic instruments and or treatment arrangements or a surgeon &# 39 ; s hand ( s ) to be disposed through the opening 114 to allow surgical procedures to be enclosively performed within that site . thus what has been shown are a number of embodiments of stiffener rings , to provide rigidity to a protractor sleeve so as to both protect the periphery of the incision or wound site as well as to provide a base for support of retractor blades or paddles to hold organs in place or aside during a particular surgical procedure .
the present invention covers a surgical wound protector apparatus for the protective support of an incision and support of surgical apparatus utilized within the incision . the apparatus comprises a flexible resilient wound liner sleeve having an open upper end and an open lower end with a rigid annular ring arranged to securely receive the upper end of the resilient sleeve when the sleeve and the ring are applied to an incision of a patient .