Patent ID: 8475476

Claim:
A device for accessing a body cavity through a body wall of a patient comprising: a flexible, multi-lumen overtube comprising a distal end, a main lumen configured to receive an endoscope, and a plurality of outer lumens circumferentially disposed about the main lumen; a plurality of attachment mechanisms disposed within and deployable from the plurality of outer lumens, wherein the plurality of attachment mechanisms are configured to secure the distal end of the multi-lumen overtube against a body wall, wherein each of the plurality of attachment mechanisms comprises a suture anchor having an attached filament, the filament having a free end removably disposed within one of the plurality of outer lumens such that the free end extends proximally from a proximal end of the overtube; at least one pushing rod configured to be movably advanced through each of the outer lumens, the pushing rod having an elongate shaft with a distal end configured to engage and deploy the anchor of each of the plurality of suture anchors; a trocar comprising a tube configured to be removably inserted into the main lumen of the overtube, the trocar tube containing an elongate shaft and a cutting portion disposed on a distal end thereof, the cutting portion being configured to engage and puncture the body wall; and a suture exchanger configured to be removably inserted into the main lumen of the overtube, the suture exchanger comprising a shaft having an axial length larger than the axial length of the overtube, the shaft of the suture exchanger having a proximal shaft portion and a hook portion located distal to the proximal shaft portion, wherein the hook portion takes the form of a sickle having a curvature offset from a longitudinal axis of the proximal shaft portion, the curvature forming a rounded distal-most end of the suture exchanger, the hook configured to movably ensnare a portion of the filaments of each of the suture anchors when the filaments are disposed above the body wall and when the overtube is at least partially retracted away from the body wall, whereby the hook portion is configured to proximally withdraw the free end of each of the suture anchor filaments from the plurality of outer lumens and into the main lumen and towards the proximal end of the overtube, the free ends of the suture anchor filaments being extendable from the proximal end of the overtube.