Trocar assembly

Claim 1

An improved laparoscopy trocar assembly comprising: an elongate shaft, said elongate shaft including an open proximal end, an open distal end, and an axial channel extending from said distal end to said proximal end, said elongate shaft including a substantially smooth exterior surface so as to prevent frictional engagement of said exterior surface with various tissue planes at an incision opening, thereby reducing a force required to insert said shaft into a patient and substantially minimizing local tissue maceration and traumatization at the tissue planes, a distal expandable component disposed substantially at said distal end of said elongate shaft and structured to selectively maintain said elongate shaft partially within the patient subsequent to insertion of said distal end of said shaft and said distal expandable component into the patient, said distal expandable component including at least one inflatable cuff, said inflatable cuff being structured to be selectively disposed in an inflated and an uninflated state within the patient, said inflatable cuff being formed of a flexible, substantially non-elastic material such that a wall thickness of said inflatable cuff is uniform along an entire surface thereof both when said cuff is in said inflated and uninflated states, thereby substantially reducing a likelihood that said inflatable cuff will rupture, said inflatable cuff sealing off the incision opening about said elongate shaft so as to substantially prevent air flow from an interior of the patient through said incision opening, inflation means structured and disposed to provide for exterior inflation of said inflatable cuff once said inflatable cuff is disposed within the patient, an upper collar assembly slidably disposed on said elongate shaft substantially at said proximal end thereof, said upper collar assembly including locking means structured to engage said elongate shaft and non-slidably secure said collar assembly at a relative position along said substantially smooth exterior surface of said elongate shaft so as to substantially captivate various tissue planes of the patient, which have been pierced by said elongate shaft, between said upper collar assembly and said inflatable cuff, in said inflated state, and thereby maintain said elongate shaft substantially securely and stably disposed in the incision opening of the patient, said wherein upper collar assembly permits air which does seek to exit the patient from the incision opening about said exterior surface of said elongate shaft to completely exit the patient and thereby not leak from the patient into the various tissue planes leading to subcutaneous emphysema when said upper collar assembly and said inflatable cuff captivate said tissue planes, and introduction means structured and disposed to facilitate passage of said elongate shaft through the various tissue planes of the patient so as to define the incision opening.