Elastomeric valve assembly

A surgical apparatus comprising a valve adapted to receive a surgical instrument which has a distal end and a proximal end, for insertion into a surreal site, said valve having an axis extending between a proximal end and a distal end of the valve, the valve comprising:

• a pair of generally planar inner walls extending between the distal end and the proximal end of the valve and converging distally to intersect at a predetermined location along the axis;
• portions of the inner walls defining a slot in a plane including the axis at a location proximate to said predetermined location;
• and
• a funnel structure having an inner surface which converges proximally from the distal end of the valve to the slot, said funnel structure being adapted to guide the proximal end of the instrument toward the slot when the instrument is inserted into the surreal apparatus and then through the valve in a backwards direction from the distal end of the valve to the proximal end of the valve.

A medical access device adapted to receive an instrument, comprising:

• a housing having walls defining an inner channel;
• a valve disposed in the channel and forming a seal with the walls of the housing, the valve having an axis extending between a proximal end and a distal end of the valve;
• an outer wall of the valve extending between the proximal end and the distal end of the valve, the outer wall comprising a surface of revolution around the axis of the valve;
• a pair of inner walls included in the valve and extending between the distal end and the proximal end of the valve in distally converging relationship to intersect at a slot, the inner walls having a tendency to separate when the instrument is inserted into the access device between the inner walls and through the slot, and to form an undesirable leakage channel having a cross sectional area around the instrument;
• and
• at least one compression member extending between the outer wall and an associated one of the inner walls, the compression member being adapted to compress in response to insertion of the instrument and to exert a force on the associated inner wall when compressed to reduce the cross sectional area of the leakage channel.

A method for backloading a surgical access device onto a surgical instrument, a distal end of which is disposed at a surgical site, the access device including a valve having a pair of walls extending between a distal end of the valve and a proximal end of the valve, the walls converging distally to intersect along a slot, and further including a funnel structure at the distal end of the valve, the funnel having an inner surface which converges proximally toward the slot, the method comprising the steps of:

• contacting the inner surface of the funnel structure with the proximal end of the instrument, while the distal end of the instrument remains engaged distally of the valve, in proximity to a surgical site;
• guiding a proximal end of the instrument proximally along the inner surface of the funnel structure and into the slot to form a seal between the valve and the instrument as the surgical access device moves along the instrument;
• and
• causing relative movement between the access device and the instrument so that the instrument is moved proximally between the walls of the valve as the surgical access device moves along the instrument.