Patent ID: 8491612

Claim:
A sheath for positioning within a body lumen adjacent an anastomotic site, the sheath comprising: a skin formed of at least one of a film and a foam, the skin including a proximal-most end and a distal-most end defining a passage therebetween, the distal-most end defining a distal opening, the distal opening being the most distal opening of the sheath that is substantially coaxially aligned with the passage, the proximal-most end being insertable in the body lumen and positionable spaced apart from the anastomotic site; and a grasping structure positioned distally of the distal opening and the distal-most end of the skin, the grasping structure including a proximal end and a distal end, the grasping structure defining an aperture therethrough that is disposed between the proximal and distal end of the grasping structure, the grasping structure facilitating elongation of the skin from a first length to a second longer length, the entire proximal end of the grasping structure being fixedly secured to the skin continuously along a segment of a circumference of the skin that is defined about the distal opening of the skin.