Trocar with rotating safety shield

摘要

A trocar (2) includes a hollow body (4) defining a path between its proximal and distal ends with an obturator assembly (6) positioned along the path. The distal and (22) of the obturator rod (14) has a cutting element or blade (24). A safety shield (46) is rotably mounted to the blade for automatic movement from a cutting position, with the blade exposed, and a safe position, with the blade shielded, when the blade is at least partially through the tissue layer being pierced. A gas sealing assembly (114) seals the path along the trocar body and includes at least three interleavened elastomeric sealing elements (124) which seal the path when an object, such as an obturator barrel ( 14) , is not positioned along the path.