FLEXIBLE LIFTING APPARATUS

A lifting apparatus for deployment through a laparoscopic incision in a body wall to apply an external lifting force over a large area of the body wall. The apparatus provides a broad lifting surface that is capable of applying a lifting force of at least 40 pounds (180 Newtons) to an area of a body wall sufficiently extensive to reduce the lifting pressure exerted on the body wall to well below that which could cause pressure trauma to the body wall, yet delivers this broad lifting surface through the body wall via an incision about 14 mm long. The apparatus comprises a body wall engaging element capable of passing in a packaged state through the laparoscopic incision, and being inflatable to an inflated state. In the inflated state, the body wall engaging element is substantially toroidal, provides a broad lifting face, and bounds a central hole. The body wall engaging element includes an equatorial portion facing into the central hole. The apparatus also includes a flexible lifting element that has a flexible portion capable of passing through the laparoscopic incision. The flexible portion is attached to the equatorial portion of the body wall engaging element and extends from the equatorial portion towards the broad lifting face. The flexible lifting element also includes an adapter, connected to part of the flexible portion remote from the equatorial portion of the body wall engaging element, that receives the external lifting force and transfers the external lifting force to the flexible portion.