Patent ID: 8211136

Claim:
A stoma dilator comprising: a base dilator having a distal end, a proximal end, and a tubular body positioned therebetween, a hub positioned on the proximal end of the base dilator, at least a portion of a dilator positioner is provided therewith, the distal end includes a stop thereon, and the base dilator is formed to include an opening therethrough, wherein the base dilator is configured to be positioned over a wire into a patient's tissue; and a plurality of dilators disposed in an initial, un-deployed configuration coaxially stacked on the base dilator, each of the plurality of dilators including a tapered distal end, a proximal end, and a tubular body positioned therebetween, another portion of the dilator positioner comprising a stop positioned proximally on each of at least two or more of the plurality of dilators, wherein the portions of the dilator positioner cooperate to position the plurality of dilators such that a portion of each distal end of each dilator is graspable by a health care practitioner for movement from its initial, un-deployed configuration coaxially stacked on the base dilator to a deployed position, wherein the stop on the base dilator and the more than one stop on the plurality of dilators cooperate to form a continuous taper of a distal end of the stoma dilator when the plurality of dilators are positioned in a deployed position.