Method and system for use in a lung access procedure to aid in preventing pneumothorax

A method for use in a lung access procedure to aid in preventing pneumothorax, comprising:

• providing a cannula having an elongate shaft and a pair of balloons, the pair of balloons including a first balloon longitudinally spaced from a second balloon along the elongate shaft, the cannula having a lumen, the lumen extending through the elongate shaft;
• providing a stylet slidably received in the lumen of the cannula, the stylet having a penetrating end portion configured to extend beyond the cannula in a distal direction;
• forming an access opening to an interior of a lung of a patient, the access opening formed between a first and a second rib and extends through a parietal pleura, a pleural space, and a visceral pleura of the patient;
• inserting the cannula and the stylet along the access opening and through the pleural layers of the patient;
• imaging the pair of balloons through use of an imaging system;
• determining a current location of the first balloon relative to the parietal pleura and a current location of the second balloon relative to the visceral pleura;
• positioning the first balloon to be located proximal the parietal pleura;
• positioning the second balloon to be located distal to the visceral pleura;
• actuating an applicator to deliver a first amount of a first sealant component of a two-component sealant to the first balloon and a first amount of a second sealant component of the two-component sealant to the second balloon, whereby actuating the applicator results in a pair of inflated balloons, whereby the pair of inflated balloons results in the compression of the pleural layers together;
• and
• actuating the applicator to deliver a second amount of the first sealant component of the two-component sealant to the first balloon and a second amount of the second sealant component of the two-component sealant to the second balloon, the second amount of the first sealant component is sufficient to rupture the first balloon and the second amount of the second sealant component is sufficient to rupture the second balloon, whereby this second step of actuating the applicator results in a pair of ruptured balloons and the first sealant component and the second sealant component comingling at the site of the parietal pleura and the visceral pleura so as to adhere the parietal pleura and viscera pleura together.