Gel seal for a surgical trocar apparatus
AssigneeCovidien LP
InventorRichard D. Gresham
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A seal assembly for use with an access device during a surgical procedure includes a housing having a passageway therethrough dimensioned to permit passage of a surgical instrument and being adapted for mounting to a trocar device, and a seal comprising a gel material and being mounted to the housing across the passageway. The seal includes inner seal portions defining an access channel dimensioned to form a substantial sealing relation with an object therethrough and substantially close in the absence of the surgical instrument. The seal preferably comprises a second material having a hardness greater than a hardness of the gel material. The gel material may be selected from the group consisting of urethane gel, silicon gel.
Claims16
A cannula assembly, which comprises:
- a housing;
- a sleeve connected to the housing, the housing and the sleeve defining a longitudinal axis and having a longitudinal passageway;
- a gel seal comprising a gel material and being mounted within the housing, the gel seal including inner seal portions dimensioned to form a substantial sealing relation with a surgical instrument positioned within the longitudinal passageway;
- and
- at least one supplemental seal secured relative to the housing and in contact with the gel seal, the gel seal being adapted to move in the lateral direction independent of the at least one supplemental seal, the at least one supplemental seal defining an expandable opening.
A cannula assembly, which comprises:
- a housing;
- a sleeve connected to the housing, the housing and the sleeve defining a longitudinal axis and having a longitudinal passageway, and defining proximal and distal ends;
- a gel seal comprising a gel material and being mounted within the housing, the seal including inner seal portions dimensioned to form a substantial scaling relation with a surgical instrument positioned within the longitudinal passageway, the gel seal adapted for radial movement relative to the housing;
- a first supplemental seal mounted to the housing proximal of and in contact with the gel seal, the first supplemental seal having inner portions defining an expandable passage to permit passage of the surgical instrument in sealed relation therewith;
- and
- a second supplemental seal mounted to the housing distal of the gel seal and in contact with the gel seal, the second supplemental seal having inner portions defining an expandable passage to permit passage of the surgical instrument in sealed relation therewith.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.