Patent ID: 7824368

Claim:
A method for accessing the abdominal cavity of a patient in order to perform a medical procedure therein, said method comprising: inserting a guide wire into the upper gastrointestinal tract, via a gastric opening in the gastric wall and an abdominal opening in the abdominal wall of the patient, said guide wire having a first end that extends from the mouth of the patient, and a second end that extends from said abdominal opening of the patient; obtaining an access device comprising an elongated sheath having a lumen therethrough, the sheath having a proximal end and a distal end; attaching said first end of said guide wire to the distal end of said elongated sheath; pulling said second end of said guide wire to position said access device into the upper gastrointestinal tract, wherein the distal end of said access device extends from inside the stomach through the gastric opening and into the abdominal cavity while the proximal end of said access device extends out of the mouth of the patient; and advancing an endoscope in the lumen of the access device from the proximal end of the sheath and into the abdominal cavity.