Screw-type skin seal with inflatable membrane
AssigneeGeneral Surgical Innovations, Inc.
InventorsGeorge D. Hermann, Christopher Eric Thayer
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A skin seal or trocar stabilizer with an inflatable membrane disposed inside, whereby medical instruments may be passed through the skin seal into a endoscopic work space while the inflatable membrane is inflated, thereby allowing the use of normal short conventional open surgery instruments during endoscopic procedures and during insufflation.
Claims19
A skin seal having an inflatable membrane inside, said skin seal comprising:
- a cannula having a proximal end and a distal end, said proximal end having a larger outer diameter than said distal end, said cannula having an outer surface and inner bore;
- a fastening means on said outer surface of said cannula;
- and
- an inflatable membrane disposed within the inner bore of the cannula, said inflatable membrane having a proximal end and a distal end, said inflatable membrane sealed around its circumference to the inner bore of the cannula in at least two longitudinal positions along the inner bore of the cannula.
A surgical access device comprising:
- a cannula having a large end, a small end, an outer surface, and an inner bore;
- screw threads on said outer surface of said flexible cannula;
- an inflatable membrane secured to said inner bore of said cannula to form an airtight chamber between said inner bore of said flexible cannula and said inflatable membrane;
- and
- an inflation port communicating with said airtight chamber.
A skin seal comprising:
- a tube having a proximal end, a distal end, an outer surface and an inner bore, said proximal end having a larger outer diameter than said distal end;
- a fastening means on said outer surface of said tube;
- an inflatable membrane having a proximal end and a distal end, secured to said inner bore of said flexible tube, said inflatable membrane being disposed within said tube with said proximal end of said inflatable membrane aligned with said proximal end of said tube and said distal end of said inflatable membrane aligned with said distal end of said tube, said inflatable membrane sealed to said tube;
- and
- an inflation port communicating with said inflatable membrane.
A device for sealing an opening through the skin into an insufflated space within the body, said device comprising:
- a cannula having proximal and distal ends, the diameter of said proximal end being larger than the diameter of said distal end;
- a fastening means on said outer surface of said cannula;
- and
- an inflatable membrane disposed within the cannula and sealed to the cannula, said inflatable membrane being sized and dimensioned to fill said flexible cannula when inflated and to leave an open lumen through said flexible cannula when deflated.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.