Cannula for receiving surgical instruments
AssigneeEndius Incorporated
InventorsThomas W. Davison, Timothy E. Taylor, Adam Sher
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A cannula (10) receives surgical instruments (120) for performing a surgical procedure on a body (130). The cannula (10) comprises a tube structure (12) defining a passage (16) through which the surgical instruments (120) are inserted into the body (130). The tube structure (12) has a proximal end (20) and a distal end (62). The tube structure (12) includes an expandable portion (40) for enabling an increase in the cross-sectional area of the passage (16) at the distal end (62). The expandable portion (40) of the tube structure (12), when expanded, has a conical configuration.
Claims16
A system for providing minimally invasive access to a surgical location on or near the spine of a patient, said system comprising:
- an elongate body having a proximal end, a distal end, an outer surface, and an inner surface, said inner surface defining a passage extending through the elongate body and through which surgical instruments can be inserted to the surgical location, said elongate body capable of being articulated from a contracted configuration to an expanded configuration;
- and
- a plastic layer coupled extending a majority of the distance between the proximal and distal ends, the plastic layer being coupled with a surface of said elongate body, said plastic layer configured to at least partially limit expansion of said elongate body.
A system for providing access to a surgical location within a patient, said system comprising:
- an elongate body comprising a proximal end, a distal end, and a surface, the elongate body capable of taking on a contracted configuration and an expanded configuration;
- a plastic layer extending a majority of the distance between the proximal end and the distal end and coupled with the surface of the elongate body;
- and
- a release device coupled with the plastic layer, the release device capable of decoupling the plastic layer from the elongate body to allow the elongate body to take on the expanded configuration, the release mechanism accessible at the proximal end of the elongate body.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.