Patent ID: 8574257

Claim:
An access port to allow sealed access through a wall of the heart during a beating heart cardiac procedure, comprising; an elongated tubular sheath having a proximal end, a distal end, and a lumen extending therebetween; a single expandable element on the tubular sheath, the expandable element being disposed around the distalmost end of the sheath and having a compressed state and an expanded state, wherein the expandable element is operable to be positioned within a chamber of the heart while in the compressed state, and wherein the expandable element is further operable to be deployed once it is within the heart chamber to convert to the expanded state and contact an interior wall of the heart chamber; a stop-grip mechanism disposed on the exterior of the sheath proximal to the expandable element including a grip member axially movable over the sheath and adapted to contact an exterior wall of the heart chamber and apply a compressive force across the wall in opposition to the expandable element in its expanded state, and a variable position stop member positioned proximal to the grip member and adapted to apply a distal bias to the grip member, wherein the grip member slides freely along the sheath, and the stop member is internally-threaded and controllably movable along external threads on the sheath, and the stop-grip mechanism further includes a spring mechanism in between the grip member and stop member that provides the compressive force; and a device valve connected to the proximal end of the sheath to allow devices to be placed and removed through the sheath while minimizing blood loss.