Patent ID: 8038652
Filing Date: 2011-10-18
Classification: A61B

Abstract:
1. A cannula for enabling passage of surgical instruments through a portal passing through tissue, comprising: an elongated, cylindrical flexible body of constant diameter having a first end and an opposing second end, and a longitudinal axis; a first flexible flange integral with the first end, and a second flexible flange integral with the second end, so that the cannula is formed as a single piece, the first and second flexible flanges having a diameter substantially greater than the constant diameter of the cylindrical flexible body and extending substantially perpendicularly outward from the cylindrical body, the first and second flexible cylindrical flanges having substantially flat inner surfaces oriented approximately perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the flexible body; and a substantially planar flexible membrane disposed within the elongated body approximately midway between the first and second flanges and oriented in a direction about perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the elongated body, wherein upon insertion of the cannula through the portal, the first flexible flange flips open so that its substantially flat inner surface rests against one side of the tissue and the second flexible flange flips open so that its substantially flat inner surface against an opposite side of the tissue.