Pressurized surgical valve
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A surgical access assembly, which comprises:
- a housing;
an elongate access member extending from the housing, the access member dimensioned for positioning within a patient'"'"'s tissue and defining a passageway therethrough configured to removably receive a surgical object;
a seal member disposed within the housing and having an aperture defined therein and extending therethrough, the seal member being adapted to transition between a first condition, wherein the aperture includes a first transverse dimension, and at least one subsequent condition, wherein the aperture includes a second transverse dimension that is smaller than the first transverse dimension;
a pump assembly operatively coupled to the seal member and configured to circulate a fluid into and out of the seal member to thereby respectively transition the seal member between the first condition and the at least one subsequent condition, the pump assembly including;
a pressure transducer adapted to measure pressure exerted by the fluid within the seal member, the pressure transducer being adapted to translate the measured pressure into a first signal;
a processing unit operatively coupled to the pressure transducer, the processing unit being configured to receive and process the first signal into at least one additional signal to control circulation of the fluid into and out of the seal member; and
at least one sensor operatively coupled to the housing and in communication with the processing unit, the at least one sensor being adapted to detect at least one attribute of a surgical object upon the introduction into the surgical access assembly, the sensor being configured to generate a signal in response thereto to control the pump assembly; and
a delay mechanism in communication with the at least one sensor to provide a specified interval of time between detection of the surgical object and activation of the pump assembly in order to minimize force necessary to advance the surgical object through the seal member.
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Abstract
A surgical access assembly for use during the course of a minimally invasive procedure includes a pump assembly to selectively communicate to and from the seal member such that the seal may transition from a first condition to at least one subsequent condition. In the first condition, the seal member is configured to allow a surgical object to pass therethrough with little resistance, and in the at least one subsequent condition, the seal member forms a substantially fluid tight seal with the surgical object.
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Citations
19 Claims
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1. A surgical access assembly, which comprises:
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a housing; an elongate access member extending from the housing, the access member dimensioned for positioning within a patient'"'"'s tissue and defining a passageway therethrough configured to removably receive a surgical object; a seal member disposed within the housing and having an aperture defined therein and extending therethrough, the seal member being adapted to transition between a first condition, wherein the aperture includes a first transverse dimension, and at least one subsequent condition, wherein the aperture includes a second transverse dimension that is smaller than the first transverse dimension; a pump assembly operatively coupled to the seal member and configured to circulate a fluid into and out of the seal member to thereby respectively transition the seal member between the first condition and the at least one subsequent condition, the pump assembly including; a pressure transducer adapted to measure pressure exerted by the fluid within the seal member, the pressure transducer being adapted to translate the measured pressure into a first signal; a processing unit operatively coupled to the pressure transducer, the processing unit being configured to receive and process the first signal into at least one additional signal to control circulation of the fluid into and out of the seal member; and at least one sensor operatively coupled to the housing and in communication with the processing unit, the at least one sensor being adapted to detect at least one attribute of a surgical object upon the introduction into the surgical access assembly, the sensor being configured to generate a signal in response thereto to control the pump assembly; and a delay mechanism in communication with the at least one sensor to provide a specified interval of time between detection of the surgical object and activation of the pump assembly in order to minimize force necessary to advance the surgical object through the seal member. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A surgical access assembly, which comprises:
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a housing configured and dimensioned for engagement with a patient'"'"'s tissue; a seal member disposed within the housing and including an aperture extending therethrough, the seal member being configured and dimensioned to form a seal with an inserted surgical object; a pump assembly operatively coupled to the seal member and configured to circulate a fluid into and out of the seal member to facilitate reconfiguration of the aperture, the pump assembly including; a pressure transducer adapted to measure pressure exerted by the fluid within the seal member, the pressure transducer being adapted to translate the measured pressure into a first signal; a processing unit in communication with the pressure transducer, the processing unit being configured to receive and process the first signal into at least one additional signal to control circulation of the fluid into and out of the seal member; and at least one sensor in communication with the processing unit, the at least one sensor being configured, dimensioned, and adapted to detect at least one attribute of the surgical object upon introduction into the surgical access assembly, and generate a signal in response thereto to control the pump assembly; and a delay mechanism in communication with the at least one sensor to provide a specified interval of time between detection of the surgical object and activation of the pump assembly in order to minimize force necessary to advance the surgical object through the seal member. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19)
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Specification