Surgical access apparatus and method

#1. Field of the Invention

#This invention relates generally to devices and other apparatus facilitating sealed access with surgical instruments, such as a surgeon's hand, across a body wall and into a body cavity.

#2. Background of the Invention

#FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a patient prone on an operating table with his abdomen insufflated, and with instrument access provided by trocars and the access device of the present invention;

#FIG. 2 is an enlarged side elevation view of the access device of FIG. 1 operatively disposed exteriorly as the abdominal wall;

#FIG. 3 is a side elevation view similar to FIG. 2 showing the access device operatively disposed interiorly of the abdominal wall;

#A patient is illustrated in FIG. 1 and designated generally by the reference numeral 10. The patient 10 is shown in a prone position on an operating table 12, where abdominal surgery is being performed by a surgeon 14 having an arm 16 and a hand 17. In the illustrated example, the operative procedure is performed within an abdominal cavity 18 with instrument access provided through an abdominal wall 21. In this type of operation, commonly referred to as laparoscopic surgery, trocars 23 and 25 are commonly used to provide minimally invasive access through the abdominal wall 21 for instruments such as a grasper 27 and an endoscope 30

#Although the specific focus of this disclosure will be on a preferred laparoscopic procedure, it will be noted that laparoscopic surgery is merely representative of a type of operation wherein a procedure can be performed in a body cavity with minimal access through a body wall.

#Notwithstanding the foregoing generality, it is important to note that with respect to laparoscopic surgery, it is often desirable that the surgeon 14 be able to insert his/her hand 17 through the abdominal wall 21 and into the abdominal cavity 18. This insertion of the hand 17 provides the surgeon 14 with direct access to various elements of the anatomy