A surgical access device is disclosed and includes a housing, a cannula, a guide, and an expandable member. The cannula extends distally from the housing and defines a longitudinal axis. A wall of the cannula includes a first slot defined therein. The guide is engagable with the housing and defines a first channel. The first channel is disposed at a non-parallel angle relative to the longitudinal axis. The expandable member is disposed adjacent a distal portion of the cannula and is transitionable between a collapsed configuration and an expanded configuration. A first surgical instrument is insertable through the first channel of the guide and through the first slot of the cannula.

A system for performing an endoscopic surgical procedure in a surgical cavity of a patient that includes a gas delivery device configured to deliver a flow of pressurized gas to a gas delivery lumen extending therefrom, a gaseous sealing module communicating with a distal end of the gas delivery lumen and configured to generate a gaseous seal within a gas sealed lumen extending therefrom, and an access port communicating with a distal end of the gas sealed lumen so as to provide sealed instrument access to the surgical cavity and maintain a stable pressure within the surgical cavity.

Method and system for treating a patient using an inflatable device. A removal device may be used to remove the inflatable device from the body. The removal device can have at least one manually-actuatable member and at least two opposing jaws at a distal end. At least one of the at least two jaws can be movable by actuation of the at least one manually-actuatable member. At least one of the at least two jaws can have a puncturing member.

Access assemblies include an instrument valve housing and a valve assembly disposed within the cavity of the instrument valve housing. The valve assembly includes a guard assembly, a seal assembly disposed adjacent to the guard assembly, and a centering mechanism for maintaining the seal assembly and guard assembly centered within a cavity of the instrument valve. The guard assembly includes a support ring and a plurality of guard sections disposed distally of the support ring. The seal assembly includes a proximal seal member, an intermediate seal assembly, and a distal seal member, the intermediate seal assembly including a plurality of seal sections in a stacked configuration

Cannula devices, systems, and methods are provided for introducing one or more instruments into a patient's body to perform a procedure. In one example, the cannula device includes first and second housings defining a throughbore, and a plurality of elongate members extending distally from the housings, the elongate members cooperatively defining a passage axially aligned with the throughbore between proximal ends and distal tips of the elongate members. The first housing is moveable in an axial direction with respect to the second housing to cause the proximal ends of the elongate members to move outwardly to increase a size of the passage and, optionally, may taper when expanded. Optionally, one or more secondary devices, e.g., an obturator with a sharpened tip, or an obturator and tubular access device may be provided that may be inserted through the throughbore into the passage before expansion of the passage.

A surgical system comprising a cannula assembly and an obturator assembly for penetrating tissue is disclosed. A cover of the cannula assembly is mounted to a cannula housing and has a cover aperture therethrough. The cover has a trailing end face defining a predetermined geometrical configuration, at least a portion of the trailing end face is obliquely arranged relative to a longitudinal axis and terminates in, and leads toward the cover aperture to facilitate guiding of the surgical object through the cover aperture. The obturator assembly includes an obturator housing and an obturator member. The obturator housing has a housing base defining a leading end face, which defines a predetermined geometrical configuration corresponding to the predetermined geometrical configuration of the trailing end face of the cover to mate therewith upon assembly of the obturator assembly with the cannula assembly.

Several methods to reduce surgical site infections include inserting a surgical access device into an incision, retracting tissue, and introducing fluid into the surgical access device such that the fluid exits the surgical access device and irrigates a surgical site. Other methods do not include introducing fluid into a surgical access device but include suctioning a fluid into the surgical access device and removing the fluid from the body.

A system for accessing a central pulmonary artery includes an elongate, flexible tubular catheter, having a proximal end, a distal end and a catheter hub on the proximal end. An elongate, flexible rail has a proximal end, a distal end and a rail hub on the proximal end. The rail has a distal advance segment which extends at least about 10 cm beyond the distal end of the catheter when the catheter hub is adjacent the rail hub.

A surgical robot/instrument system comprising a holding arm whose distal end portion has a gripping or holding device arranged thereon, the latter being designed to hold a trocar or a surgical instrument in an exchangeable fashion, and a surgical instrument with a minimally invasive design comprising an instrument shaft whose distal end portion supports an instrument tip via a joint, said instrument tip supporting an effector of the surgical instrument. The surgical robot/instrument system comprises drives by means of which functions such as actuating the effector, inclining or bending of the effector at its joint to the instrument shaft, rotating the effector around its longitudinal axis and/or rotating the instrument shaft, moving the instrument shaft in its shaft direction as well as moving the instrument shaft transverse to the shaft direction can be effected. The drives for effecting at least the instrument-internal functions, such as actuating the effector, inclining or bending the effector at its joint to the instrument shaft and rotating the effector around its longitudinal axis are provided internally on or in the surgical instrument. The drives for effecting the instrument-external functions, such as moving the instrument shaft transverse to the shaft direction, are provided externally on/in the holding arm.

Surgical access devices having wound closure features incorporated as part of the device are provided. The devices allow suture to be inserted directly into the device and operated to close an opening through which the device is disposed as or shortly after the device is removed from the surgical site. Further, the wound closure features allow for various orientations of wound closure to be achieved by adjusting an angle at which the suture enters tissue surrounding the opening to be closed. Some of the wound closure features provided for include openings formed in both the housing and cannula of the surgical access device, multiple openings formed in one or both the housing and cannula, locations of the openings being adjustable or otherwise movable, and various flexible seals. Other features, as well as methods of closing an opening through which the surgical access device was disposed, are also provided.