PNEUMATIC SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR INTERMITTENTLY RIGIDIFYING AN ENDOSCOPIC SPECIMEN RETAINING CARRIER

摘要

An insufflation/desufflation apparatus/system, and method of use thereof. An airtight tube is secured circumferentially to the opening of an endoscopic containment bag. The tube is attached to a valve and a small conduit for insufflating (pressurizing) and desufflating (depressurizing) the tube. The tube is formed of a highly pliable material, similar to the plastic of the pliable containment bag. When the tube is desufflated, the bag and tube are easily folded and wrapped for passage into the peritoneal cavity via a standard laparoscopic port. When the tube is insufflated via the conduit, air fills the closed tube and makes the whole structure substantially rigid in the shape of the containment bag opening around which it is secured. The result is that the bag is forced open by the now rigid, insufflated tube.

主权项

1. A pneumatic system for use with a pliable endoscopic retaining carrier having a specimen-receiving opening and a substantially hollow interior, where said retaining carrier is insertable into an operative internal cavity of a subject or patient, said pneumatic system comprising:
a pneumatic base channel disposed along a perimeter of said specimen-receiving opening of said retaining carrier; a plurality of pneumatic side channels disposed at a spaced distance away from each other along an outer surface of a side of said retaining carrier, wherein said pneumatic base channel and said plurality of side channels collectively form pneumatic channels of said pneumatic system, wherein said pneumatic channels are interconnected and have substantially hollow interiors that are in open communication with each other; and a filling channel in communication with said pneumatic channels, said filling channel extending from a pneumatic channel selected from said pneumatic channels, said filling channel having an end configured to be coupled to a fluid source for pumping a fluid into said filling channel and thus also into said interiors of said pneumatic channels, wherein said pneumatic channels each have a desufflated position and an insufflated position, and wherein said retaining carrier has a collapsed position and a rigidified position, said desufflated position of said pneumatic channels corresponding to said collapsed position of said retaining carrier used during insertion and withdrawal of said retaining carrier, including said pneumatic channels, into and out of said operative internal cavity of said subject or patient, said insufflated position of said pneumatic channels corresponding to said rigidified position of said retaining carrier used during placement of an excised specimen within said subject's internal operative cavity into said substantially hollow interior of said retaining carrier, wherein insufflation of said pneumatic channels rigidifies said retaining carrier and desufflation of said pneumatic channels collapses said retaining carrier.