Patent ID: 6293909
Filing Date: 2001-09-25
Classification: A61B

Abstract:
A surgical sheath comprising:an elongated flexible tube adapted to coaxially enclose circumferentially a portion of a surgical device that inserts within a body cavity;the elongated tube having at least a distal portion that is laterally expandable within said body cavity and adapted for axial extension to lengthen or retraction to shorten the longitudinal dimension of the tube while respectively diminishing or enlarging the radial dimensions thereof; andat least one of a channel and a pull wire coupled to a distal end of the laterally expandable portion of the outer tube, wherein said at least one of the channel and pull wire is configured such that a force applied to at least one of the channel and pull wire in a proximal direction applies a proximally directed force to the distal end of the expandable portion, the proximally directed force applied to the distal end of the expandable portion being combined with a distally directed force applied to a proximal end of the expandable portion to cause the shortening of the longitudinal dimension of the tube and the enlarging of the radial dimensions of the expandable portion.