Patent ID: 8192355

Claim:
An endoluminal protection and access device for positioning within a lumen of a gastrointestinal tract, which comprises: an access member including an outer wall defining an internal lumen, the access member having a longitudinal axis and proximal and distal ends, the distal end being sufficiently blunt to prevent perforation of the gastrointestinal lumen during positioning of the device, the outer wall defining a window through an entire thickness of the outer wall in a radial direction, wherein the window is adjacent the distal end and in communication with the internal lumen and has a radial arc ranging from about 90 degrees to about 180 degrees around the longitudinal axis, the outer wall defining a slot through the entire thickness of the outer wall in the radial direction, wherein the slot extends from the window to the distal end of the access member and has a radial arc around the longitudinal axis that is smaller than the radial arc of the window, the outer wall further having a continuous circumference forming an enclosed cylindrical section from the window to the proximal end, the access member having a cross-sectional dimension transverse to the longitudinal axis and a rigidity and a size of the cross-sectional dimension sufficient to stabilize the gastrointestinal lumen upon positioning therein to maintain patency of the gastrointestinal lumen, wherein the access member is sufficiently flexible to permit navigation through a tortuous path.