A drug-delivery cannula assembly includes a cannula housing adapted for receiving at least one obturator shaft of an obturator assembly therethrough, one or more cannulae, and a supply line coupled to the cannula housing. The cannula housing is adapted for receiving one or more obturator shafts of an obturator assembly therethrough. The one or more cannulae define a longitudinal axis and a passageway aligned with the longitudinal axis. The one or more cannulae each include a proximal end coupled to the cannula housing. The cannula housing is configured to fluidly-couple the one or more cannulae to a source of a drug delivery supply for supplying drugs via the supply line to the one or more cannulae.

A surgical apparatus for positioning within a tissue tract accessing an underlying body cavity is adapted to articulate instruments inserted therein. The surgical apparatus includes an anchor member configured to form a sealing relation with a tissue, a balloon member and a plurality of articulating arms extending distally from the anchor member. Inflating and/or deflating the balloon member effectuate articulation of the articulating arms.

One embodiment provides a portable endoscope. The portable endoscope includes a case configured to enclose at least electrical components of the portable endoscope. The electrical components include a camera configured to capture video content within a body of a patient. The components include one or more lights at least partially encompassing the camera. The one or more lights are adapted to illuminate internal portions of the body of the patient. The components include a transceiver in electrical communication with the camera. The transceiver is configured to receive the video content from the camera and wirelessly transmit the video content to a computing or communications device. The components include a battery configured to provide electrical energy to the camera, the one or more lights, and the transceiver. Each of the electrical components are interchangeable within the case.

A steerable instrument has a proximal end and a distal end, a steering device (168), and a tubular body (18) extending in a longitudinal direction from said proximal end to said distal end. The tubular body (18) has an intermediate flexible zone (12a) and a distal deflectable zone (17) and a tube element made from a metal. The tube element has a first slotted structure (74) in the flexible zone (12a) and a second slotted structure (72; 106; 136; 156) in the deflectable zone (17). The tubular body (18) has tangential rotation blocking elements which form cable channels (96; 97; 146; 152), each cable channel (96; 97) accommodating one of a plurality of cables (90). The cables (90) are connected at the proximal end to the steering device (168) and at the distal end to the deflectable zone (17) to allow deflection of the deflectable zone (17) by the steering device (168).

A cannula comprising a plastic tube having three longitudinal chambers, including a main chamber, a first lateral chamber and a second lateral chamber, and at least one reinforced section ensuring constant internal diameter, wherein the cannula is equipped from the distal side with a round end narrowing towards the end, in which there are longitudinal holes of a size enabling free venous blood flow, and a balloon. A fragment of the reinforced tube section located below the balloon is bent under an angle α of approximately 90°. From the proximal side, the tube ends with a flexible cone, sealing the cannula tightly, inside which there is a valve closing the main chamber and a port for inflating the balloon connected to the first lateral chamber.

A dilator assembly comprising an elongated body having a proximal end and a distal end, a first lumen extending along the body, a second lumen extending along the body so that it is a parallel to the first lumen, and a joint lumen disposed adjacent the distal end of the body, wherein both the first lumen and second lumen are in fluid communication with the joint lumen. A guidewire has a first end and a second end, and the first end of the guidewire is slidably received in the first lumen and the second end of the guidewire is slidably received in the second lumen.

A steerable instrument for endoscopic and/or invasive type applications includes an elongated tubular body having a proximal end part, a distal end part and an intermediate part between proximal and distal end parts, the proximal end part having at least one actuation proximal zone. The distal end part has at least one flexible distal zone, and the elongated tubular body is configured such that a movement of an actuation proximal zone is transferred to a corresponding flexible distal zone for a corresponding movement thereof. The elongated tubular body includes an inner, outer, and intermediate cylindrical elements having longitudinal elements between the inner and outer cylindrical elements. Inner, outer and intermediate cylindrical elements are coupled so movement of an actuation proximal zone is transferred by the longitudinal elements of one of the intermediate cylindrical elements to a corresponding flexible distal zone.

An access device for accessing an intervertebral disc having an outer shield comprising an access shield with a larger diameter (˜16-30 mm) that reaches from the skin down to the facet line, with an inner shield having a second smaller diameter (˜5-12 mm) extending past the access shield and reaches down to the disc level. This combines the benefits of the direct visual microsurgical/mini open approaches and the percutaneous, “ultra-MIS” techniques.

A method of operating a manipulator arm comprising a manipulator interface configured to removably couple with and transmit actuation force to a medical instrument includes mounting a cannula to a cannula mount coupled to the manipulator arm; mounting a medical instrument to the manipulator interface; inserting a shaft of the medical instrument through an entry guide mounted to the cannula; rotating the manipulator interface and the medical instrument relative to the cannula mount; and rotating the entry guide relative to the cannula mount about a longitudinal axis of the cannula.

Methods and devices are provided for providing surgical access into a body cavity. In one embodiment, a surgical access device is provided that includes a housing coupled to a retractor. The housing can be have one or more movable sealing ports for receiving surgical instruments. Each movable sealing port can include one or more sealing elements therein for sealing the port and/or forming a seal around a surgical instrument disposed therethrough. Each movable sealing port can be rotatable relative to the housing and each sealing element can be rotatable relative to the housing along a predetermined orbital path.