Devices and methods for providing access into a body cavity
AssigneeEthicon Endo-Surgery, Inc.
InventorsFrederick E. Shelton, IV, Carl J. Shurtleff
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Methods and devices are provided for accessing a body cavity. In general, a surgical access device is provided that can include a retractor that forms a working channel through tissue, a seal housing for sealing the working channel and/or forming a seal around an instrument inserted therethrough, and a flexible suspension member that is configured to suspend the seal housing within the body cavity or allow the seal housing to extend beyond the distal end of the retractor.
Claims22
A surgical access device, comprising:
- a flexible retractor having a working channel extending therethrough;
- and
- a seal housing having a plurality of sealing elements disposed therein and configured to form a seal around an instrument inserted therethrough, the seal housing being freely movably suspended within a distal portion of the flexible retractor by a flexible tether coupled to the flexible retractor such that at least a portion of the seal housing can extend distally beyond the distal end of the retractor and can be freely angularly oriented relative to the retractor.
A surgical access device, comprising:
- a retractor having proximal and distal ends with a working channel extending therethrough, the proximal end being configured to be positioned adjacent to an external surface of tissue and the distal end being configured to extend into a body cavity such that the working channel provides a pathway through the tissue;
- a suspension member having a proximal portion configured to couple to the proximal end of the retractor and a distal portion that extends through the working channel of the retractor;
- and
- a seal housing disposed within the distal portion of the suspension member and having at least one sealing element disposed therein and configured to form a seal around an instrument disposed therethrough;
- wherein at least a portion of the suspension member is flexible to allow the seal housing to extend beyond the distal end of the retractor.
A method for accessing a body cavity, comprising:
- positioning a flexible retractor within tissue such that a working channel of the flexible retractor forms a pathway through the tissue and into a body cavity;
- and
- inserting a surgical instrument through a sealing element in a seal housing suspended within the body cavity by a flexible tether extending between the seal housing and a proximal portion of the flexible retractor to position a distal end of the surgical instrument in the body cavity.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.