Surgical retraction systems including sternal retractors and hemostatic inserts

A surgical retraction system includes a sternal retractor having a first retractor arm and a second retractor arm. An insert is coupled with the sternal retractor. The insert includes a first section having a first rigid backing, a second section having a second rigid backing that is spaced from the first rigid backing, and a connector section including resilient material interconnecting proximal ends of the first and second sections. The first section of the insert is coupled with the first retractor arm, the second section of the insert is coupled with the second retractor arm, and the connector section extends laterally between the proximal ends of the first and second sections. When the insert is bent, the resilient connector section normally urges the first and second sections of the insert away from one another for returning the insert to a flat configuration.