Abstract: A pacing apparatus has a housing formed of laminar material less than about 1" in thickness. Visual indicia are applied to the housing and provide instructions for the administration of the rescue procedure. A pacing signal generator is carried by the housing for providing the pacing signal to a user. The pacing signal generator provides visual and/or audible indications to a user for pacing the administration of the rescue procedure. The usual indicators may be LEDs and the audible indicator may be one or more tones.

Abstract: A surgical sleeve that includes a housing has an opening through which surgical instruments are introduced into the surgical sleeve. A sleeve portion extends from the housing and has an inner diameter coaxial with the opening in the housing. A reducer assembly is removably secured to the housing and includes a rigid seal disc for rotation in a plane transverse to the sleeve portion. A resilient, laminar seal layer is generally coextensive with the seal disc and is disposed between the disc and the housing to sealingly engage a portion of the housing. A plurality of apertures are formed in the seal disc and seal layer and have varying diameters to define seals that are selectively movable, by rotation of the seal disc, over the opening in the housing to seal against exteriors of instruments disposed in the sleeve.

Abstract: A surgical cutting instrument having a surgeon operable control handle for advancing a blade over a fenestrated hook so that tissue within said fenestrated window area is dissected.

Abstract: A trocar assembly is disclosed for use in inserting a laparoscopic instrument into the abdominal cavity during surgery and includes a cylindrical member activated by intermeshing gears to expand a cylindrical member having a normally retracted outer diameter when the trocar assembly is within the abdominal cavity, to resist withdrawing movement of the assembly from the abdominal cavity.

Abstract: A surgical sleeve includes a housing and inner and outer sleeves coupled to the housing. A modular expandable hinge member is coupled to the outer sleeve and defines a radially expandable member to prevent inadvertent withdrawal of the surgical sleeve from a body cavity. A trigger is carried by the housing to cause relative movement between the inner and outer sleeves and radial expansion of the expandable member. The housing is further provided with a transversely slidable reducer assembly having three outer diameter seals for sealing against the exterior of surgical instruments having a variety of outer diameters. A trocar is provided for use with the surgical sleeve that is modular in construction and includes a shaft member and a modular, tubular, metallic cutting portion. The cutting portion forms only a portion of the trocar spike and the length of the shaft member governs the overall length of the trocar.

Abstract: A surgical apparatus for use in laparoscopic surgery being adaptable to provide for clipping, cutting or clamping. The device has a probe having an instrument attached to one end to be inserted in a patient. Slidably disposed over the probe is a sliding sleeve which applies force to the instrument end of the probe to effect the desired action. In one embodiment the probe may be rotatable, while in another embodiment the instrument ends are interchangeable.

Abstract: A surgical trocar instrument is provided which includes a trocar spike designed to prevent coring of the needlepoint of a trocar tube and which is secured to a knob or holding assembly in a manner that the trocar tube resists relative rotational movement and the spike assembly is biased outwardly of the needlenose of the trocar tube, but the bias may be overcome upon insertion of the trocar tube through a cavity wall, with the bias moving the spike assembly outwardly of the trocar tube to prevent coring during additional surgical maneuvers.

Abstract: A body controller is provided for an endoscopic surgical instrument having a cylindrical housing and an instrument body concentrically disposed interior of the housing and moveable between first and second positions. The controller is designed to accommodate and be activated by light grasping and, preferably, compressive application of, a finger or thumb of the human operator to a section which preferably includes a flexible dome-like or other similarly shaped portion which is substantially immediately responsive to the application of the hand of the surgeon or other operator to activate a surgical instrument carried within the housing, such as a retractable needle, or the like, to one position. By withdrawing the finger or thumb of the surgeon from the flexible means, the instrument body may be moved to a second, or original, position.

Abstract: An improved trocar sleeve (10) is disclosed for use in laparoscopic surgery. The sleeve (10) is provided with an expanded mushroom hinge (20) at the first end (14) of the sleeve inserted into the abdominal cavity. The mushroom hinge (20) can be expanded within the abdominal cavity to abut against the inner surface of the abdominal wall (18) to hold the sleeve in place. A split seal (52) having a concave shape facing the first end (14) of the trocar sleeve (10) is provided to prevent loss of pressurized gas from within the abdominal cavity through the sleeve (10) as the pressure of the gas itself urges the first and second seal lips (78, 80) on opposite sides of the slit in the seal into sealing engagement. In a second embodiment, a member (138) is rotated relative to an end member (150) to actuate the mushroom hinge.

Abstract: A positive touch surgical endoscopic cannula assembly in which one, or both, of liquid or gas may be introduced or removed from a body cavity during surgery. The device contains a valving mechanism responsive to finger or thumb touch of the surgeon and having a conically shaped force resistor which is partially inverted during movement of the valve between open and closed positions. The partial inversion of the flexible resistor is detectable through an actuator to the hand or thumb of the operator to positively indicate positioning of the valve head and seat members.

Abstract: An improved trocar sleeve (10) is disclosed for use in laparoscopic surgery. The sleeve (10) is provided with an expanded mushroom hinge (20) at the first end (14) of the sleeve inserted into the abdominal cavity. The mushroom hinge (20) can be expanded within the abdominal cavity to abut against the inner surface of the abdominal wall (18) to hold the sleeve in place. A split seal (52) having a concave shape facing the first end (14) of the trocar sleeve (10) is provided to prevent loss of pressurized gas from within the abdominal cavity through the sleeve (10) as the pressure of the gas itself urges the first and second seal lips (78, 80) on opposite sides of the slit in the seal into sealing engagement. In a second embodiment, a member (138) is rotated relative to an end member (150) to actuate the mushroom hinge.

Abstract: A combination surgical trocar cannula and rake assembly is provided. The rake has radially extending tip elements which protrude out an open end of a trocar housing in response to relative longitudinal telescopic manipulation between the housing and the rake mandrel. Upon telescopic expansion between the mandrel and the housing, the rake elements extend radially outwardly of the housing, and sequential telescopic manipulation between the housing and the mandrel, alone or in combination with rotational movement therebetween enable the rake tip elements to grasp a solid element, such as a portion of a bladder, or the like, for movements during surgery performed through an endoscopic trocar. A fluid passageway is defined between the cannula and the rake mandrel to permit introduction of fluid during surgery while the rake is within the cannula, or, alternatively, to provide a vacuum passageway.

Abstract: A surgical trocar instrument is provided which includes a trocar spike designed to prevent coring of the needlepoint of a trocar tube and which is secured to a knob or holding assembly in a manner that the trocar tube resists relative rotational movement and the spike assembly is biased outwardly of the needlenose of the trocar tube, but the bias may be overcome upon insertion of the trocar tube through a cavity wall, with the bias moving the spike assembly outwardly of the trocar tube to prevent coring during additional surgical maneuvers.

Abstract: A trocar assembly is disclosed for use in inserting a laparoscopic instrument into the abdominal cavity during surgery and includes a cylindrical member activated by intermeshing gears to expand a cylindrical member having a normally retracted outer diameter when the trocar assembly is within the abdominal cavity, to resist withdrawing movement of the assembly from the abdominal cavity.

Abstract: The invention provides a combination surgical trocar housing and selective reducer sleeve assembly in which the sleeve assembly members may be telescopically received within the trocar housing to reduce the diameter therethrough. The sleeve members provide a seal to prevent transmission of fluid within the annular area between internal and external diameters of respective members and may be latchingly secured relative to one another to resist telescopic expansive movement to stabilize the sleeve assembly relative to the trocar housing. The sleeve assembly permits acceptance through a single trocar housing of a number of auxiliary surgical instruments having serially smaller diameters, thus enabling performance of the surgical operation using each such instrument, without removal from the body wall of the original trocar housing.

Abstract: A surgical instruments handle, instrument head and forceps assembly for use in, preferably, endoscopic surgery through an endoscopic trocar are disclosed. The handle is contoured so as to provide a receptacle for a plurality of human fingers and a trigger-like extension for another finger as the thumb of the operator is snugly received within a ring of an instrument operator carried by the handle housing. The instrument handle extends to a tubular body of a forceps having first and second cutting members. The handle and forceps assembly may be introduced through an endoscopic locking trocar having a sleeve, having a diameter which is selectively expandable when the trocar is inserted through the abdominal wall into an abdominal cavity, during endoscopic surgery.

Abstract: A surgical insufflation instrument is disclosed. In one embodiment, the instrument has concentrically disposed cylindrical members with the distal end of one of the members having its outer surface contourly sloped to a closing end and having a fluid transmission passageway therethrough. In another embodiment, the insufflation instrument provides an enhanced visual indicator for determining relative telescopic expansion and contraction positions of the cylindrical members. In another embodiment, a snap and groove configuration are provided for insertion of a cap member onto the proximal end of a housing securing the concentric members.

Abstract: The invention relates to a surgical endoscopic suction/irrigation cannula assembly and, in particular, to a valve actuator for selectively transmitting liquid or gas into or out of a suction/irrigation cannula. The valve actuator includes a manually operated elastomeric valve head. The actuator may contain a port disposed therethrough and in alignment with a cannula tubing for introduction of an endoscopic or laparoseopic surgical instrument while the assembly including the valve actuator is positioned within a body cavity during surgery.