Operative cannulas and related methods

An operative cannula, comprising:

• an elongate shaft comprising:
• a first wall structure defining an interior pocket sized to receive a tubular member, the first wall structure being configured to grasp the tubular member when the tubular member is disposed within the interior pocket, the first wall structure comprising two wall portions that define an exterior opening of the elongate shaft, the interior pocket having a distal end formed as a through opening that is centered about a central axis of the first wall structure, and the through opening having a diameter that is at least as large as a diameter of the tubular member when the tubular member is disposed within the interior pocket for allowing movement of a distal end of the tubular member past the distal end of the interior pocket when the tubular member is disposed within the interior pocket, and
• a second wall structure defining a channel, the second wall structure being integral with and directly connected to the first wall structure along a length of the first wall structure, the channel having a maximum width that is smaller than the diameter of the through opening, and the channel being configured to allow passage of an instrument from a proximal end region of the elongate shaft through a distal end region of the elongate shaft;
• and
• a gripping device for manipulating the elongate shaft, the gripping device comprising two tabular members that extend outward in opposite directions from the proximal end region of the elongate shaft, the two tabular members being accessible and urgable together to widen the exterior opening of the elongate shaft to allow entry of the tubular member into the interior pocket.