Patent ID: 7798998

Claim:
A surgical access device comprising: (a) an access port adapted and configured for insertion through an abdominal wall of a patient and to permit insertion and removal of surgical instruments therethrough, the access port having an elongated body with opposed proximal and distal end portions and defining a longitudinal axis, the body having a central lumen extending therethrough and having a resilient bulb portion formed between the proximal and distal end portions thereof, at a position on the body permitting engagement of the bulb portion with an interior surface of the abdominal wall, wherein the resilient bulb portion is adapted and configured to transition between a first condition in which the bulb portion has a first diameter and a first length and a second condition in which the bulb portion has a second diameter that is less than the first diameter and a second length that is greater than the first length; (b) a tip secured to and extending beyond the distal end portion of the access port, wherein the central lumen extends through the tip; and (c) an elongated insertion device adapted to extend into the central lumen of the access port body and into the central lumen of the tip, wherein the insertion device is configured to releasably engage the tip so as to facilitate a transition from the first condition of the bulb portion of the access port body to the second condition of the bulb portion of the access port body.