English: A Deaver retractor is a surgical instrument used to hold the edges of an abdominal or chest incision open so that the surgeon is able to reach the underlying organs. It is a thin, flat instrument with curved ends. The curved ends of the retractor are placed at the edges of the incision and held there by hand or clamped into place. The Deaver retractor can be used to hold organs inside the abdominal cavity away from the surgical site.