Surgical access system

Abstract

The invention is directed to a hand access system that provides hand access to a surgical area while maintaining pneumoperitoneum during laparoscopic surgery. The hand access system comprises a sheath retractor adapted to dilate a wound stretchable to a desired diameter, the sheath retractor includes a first ring being adapted for disposition interiorly of the wound, a second ring being adapted for disposition exteriorly of the wound, and a sheath being disposed in a generally cylindrical form between the first ring and the second ring and operable to exert a radial retraction force on the wound. The hand access system further comprises a detachable hand seal adapted to be removable from the second ring of the sheath retractor. The sheath retractor may be formed of an elastomeric material, and the hand seal may be formed of a gel material and includes a slit providing an instrument seal in the presence of an instrument or hand and a zero seal in the absence of the instrument or hand. In another aspect, there is disclosed a surgical access device adapted for disposition relative to an incision in a patient comprising a valve including a plurality of overlapping sheets defining an access channel, and a ring having an inner diameter for holding the valve by fixing each of the overlapping sheets along a portion of the perimeter, the access channel extends into communication with the incision in the patient. Each of the overlapping sheets includes a portion of the perimeter that is not fixed to the inner diameter of the ring, which provide open edges defining the access channel. The open edges slightly overlap at the center of the ring. The open edges may have different shapes including at least one of a straight edge, concave, convex and a cross-configuration. The hand access device may further comprise a septum seal formed at the proximal and distal ends of the ring.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] This is a continuation application claiming the priority of (1) PCT application Serial No. PCT / US2004 / 005484, entitled “Sealed Surgical Access Device,” filed on Feb. 25, 2004, (2) PCT application Serial No. PCT / US2004 / 0054-87, entitled “Wound Retractor for Use in Hand-Assisted Laparoscopic Surgery,” filed on Feb. 25, 2004, and (3) PCT application Serial No. PCT / US2004 / 005361, entitled “Apparatus and Method for Illuminating a Peritoneal Cavity During Laparoscopic Surgery,” filed on Feb. 24, 2004, all of which claim priority to (4) provisional application Ser. No. 60 / 449,857, filed on Feb. 25, 2003, entitled “Hand-Assisted Laparoscopy Apparatus and Method,” all of which are fully incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] 1. Field of the Invention [0003] This invention generally relates to surgical access systems that facilitate sealed access across a body wall and into a body cavity during a l...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0006] The invention is directed to a hand access system that provides hand access to a surgical area while maintaining pneumoperitoneum during laparoscopic surgery. The hand access system comprises a sheath retractor adapted to dilate a wound stretchable to a desired diameter, the sheath retractor includes a first ring being adapted for disposition interiorly of the wound, a second ring being adapted for disposition exteriorly of the wound, and a sheath being disposed in a generally cylindrical form between the first ring and the second ring and operable to exert a radial retraction force on the wound. The hand access system further comprises a detachable hand seal adapted to be attached and detached from the second ring of the sheath retractor. In particular, the hand seal can be detached from the sheath retractor to convert the hand access system from laparoscopic surgery to open surgery. In one aspect, the first ring, second ring and sheath are formed from an elastomeric material, and the hand seal is formed of a gel material and includes a slit providing an instrument seal in the presence of an instrument or hand and a zero seal in the absence of the instrument or hand. The gel material includes, for example, a thermoplastic base such as Kraton® and an oil. The resulting elastomer has excellent tear strength, elongation greater than 1,000 percent, a very low durometer or hardness, and biocompatibility. It is appreciated that the first ring has a first diameter and the second ring has a second diameter, and the first and second diameters are greater than the desired diameter of the wound.

Problems solved by technology

Maintaining the pressure of the insulation gas is difficult when it is also desirable to insert instrumentation through the abdominal wall.

If a surgeon is interested in inserting his or her hand in a hand-assisted laparoscopic procedure, the maintenance of insulation pressure is even more difficult.

Currently, several devices exist that accomplish this surgical need although they suffer from drawbacks such as difficult placement and cumbersome use.

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