Patent ID: 7947058

Claim:
A surgical obturator adapted to separate body tissue, comprising: a shaft extending along an axis between a proximal end and a distal end; and a bladeless tip disposed at the distal end of the shaft and having a generally tapered configuration with an outer surface, said outer surface extending distally to a blunt point with a pair of side sections having a common shape and being separated by at least one intermediate section, wherein each of the side sections extends from the blunt point radially outwardly with progressive positions proximally along the axis, and wherein the shaft is sized and configured to receive an optical instrument having a distal end to receive an image of the body tissue; wherein: the intermediate section includes a distal portion and a proximal portion; the distal portion of the intermediate section being twisted in a first radial direction; and the proximal portion of the intermediate section being twisted in a second radial direction opposite the first radial direction.