Patent ID: 8504134

Claim:
A method of positioning surgical instruments used in minimally invasive surgeries, the method comprising: positioning a cannula in a patient, the cannula having a proximal opening external to the patient, a distal opening inside the patient, and a service port defined in a sidewall of the cannula, the service port being a second opening external to the patient; inserting at least a surgical instrument and a camera instrument into the cannula through the proximal opening of the cannula; positioning an end effector of the surgical instrument within the cannula and adjacent the service port, wherein the service port is sized to allow a servicing instrument to be inserted into the cannula to transfer an object between the end effector and a position outside the cannula; and positioning the camera instrument to place the end effector positioned within the cannula adjacent the service port and the servicing instrument within a field of view of the camera instrument.