Atropos Limited

Trevor Vaugh

Frank Bonadio

John Butler

Shane Joseph MacNally

Ronan Bernard McManus

Catherine Deegan

Kirk Anthony Shibley

Alan Reid

Stephen Williams

Lucy Dolores Halpin

Michael Mulhall

Alfred Cuschieri

Shane Joseph MacNALLY

A method for performing a laparoscopic procedure may include inserting a bag through an opening. The method may also include delivering tissue into the bag, sealing the bag, and inflating the bag to create an artificial pneumoperitoneum that extends the abdomen and provides additional working and viewing space. Further, the method may include carrying out a procedure on the tissue located in the inflated bag.

Pneumoperitoneum device

An instrument access device comprises first, second and third instrument seals for sealing around instruments extended through the device. The seals have respective connector sleeves. Each sleeve connects a base to one of the instrument seals. The device also comprises two insufflation/desufflation ports. Each of the ports comprises a connector extending from the base, a tube extending from the connector, a luer connector and a removable cap. The luer connector is used for connection to any suitable supply line for insufflation gas or for discharge if insufflation gas. In use, the insufflation/desufflation ports facilitate independent control of insufflation and desufflation as may be required during a surgical procedure. Access sleeve at the proximal end is cut-off, folded over the inner proximal ring and is held in place between the base and the inner proximal ring when the base is fitted. The proximal end of the sleeve that is generated when the sleeve is pulled upwardly to retract an incision is removed from the field of use.

Instrument access device

An artificial pneumoperitoneum bag device may include an inflatable bag having an opening at an end of the bag. The bag device may also include an indicator including at least one repeating pattern on a wall of the bag. The pattern may extend across at least one side of the bag.

Inflatable pneumoperitoneum device

A seal comprises a first sealing member and a second sealing member. The sealing members each have an accessway to facilitate access from one side of the sealing member to the other side of the sealing member. The accessways are offset to facilitate sealed access of an object through the sealing members.

Surgical device

A bag with one or more openings is placed within a body cavity. Excized tissue is placed within the opening of a deflated bag. One or more openings of the bag are withdrawn outside the body cavity and the bag is inflated. Instruments including laparoscopic visualization are placed within the inflated bag that remains within the body cavity. The tissue retained within the bag is morcellated/crushed/reduced and removed. The bag is deflated and removed with residual tissue/blood/fluids inside. The tissue to be removed is retained in the bag which prevents potentially harmful material such as cancerous cells from being released in the body cavity.

An instrument access devicecomprises a proximal memberfor location externally of an opening into a body cavity. A first connectorextends between the proximal memberand a first instrument receiver. A second connectorextends between the proximal member and a second instrument receiver. Instrument seals can be housed in relatively rigid housings for added strength.

A wound protector and retractor devicecomprises a sleeve, a distal member provided by a distal ringof resilient material and a proximal member provided by a proximal ring. The sleeveis led around the ringand is free to move axially relative to the distal ringsomewhat in the manner of a pulley. The proximal ringis fixed to the sleeve, in this case at the proximal inner end thereof. The sleeveterminates in a handle or gripping portion which is reinforced by a gripping ring. The sleeve extends from the proximal ringand the distal ringis contained between inner and outer layersof the sleeve. The resilient distal ringis scrunched up and inserted through the incision. The sleeveis then pulled upwardly. On pulling of the sleeveupwardly the outer layeris pulled up while the inner layeris drawn around the proximal ring. This results in shortening the axial extent between the proximal ringand the distal ring, tensioning the sleeve and applying a retraction force to the margins of the incision. As the incision is being retracted the margins are also protected by the sleeve. On retraction, an access port is provided, for example for a surgeon to insert his hand and/or an instrument to perform a procedure. The device may be used as a retractor in open surgery or as a base for a valve/seal to allow it to be used in hand assisted laparoscopic surgery or for instrument access or hand access generally.

Wound retractor device

An instrument access device () comprises a distal O-ring () for insertion into a wound interior, a proximal member for location externally of a wound opening and a sleeve () extending in two layers between the distal O-ring () and the proximal member. The proximal member comprises an inner proximal ring member () and an outer proximal ring member () between which the sleeve () is led. A seal housing () is mounted to the inner proximal ring member (). A gelatinous elastomeric seal () with a pinhole opening () therethrough is received in the housing (). An instrument may be extended through the seal () to access the wound interior through the retracted wound opening in a sealed manner.

Device

A wound retractor () comprises a distal ring () for insertion through a wound opening (), a proximal ring () for location externally of the wound opening (), a valve () mounted to the proximal ring (), and a sleeve () for retracting laterally the sides of the wound opening (). The wound retractor () also comprises a flexible release member () for releasing the distal ring () from a retracting configuration for removal of the distal ring () from the wound opening (). A first end () of the release member () is attached to the valve housing (), the release member () loops around the distal ring (), and a second end () of the release member () is movable relative to the proximal ring () to release the distal ring () from the retracting configuration.

Wound retractor

An apparatus () for inserting a distal ring () of a wound retractor device () through a wound opening comprises a bladeless tip () for creating the wound opening by forcing tissue apart, and a conveying device () for conveying the distal ring () through the wound opening. The conveying device () comprises a hook element () for engaging the distal ring () to convey the distal ring () through the wound opening, and a receiver housing () for receiving a seal () and a proximal ring () of the wound retractor device () to hold the seal () and the proximal ring () externally of the wound opening, and thus maintain a sleeve portion of the wound retractor device () in tension, during conveying of the distal ring () through the wound opening.

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Birr, Ireland

Trevor Vaugh