FIELD

The present disclosure relates to surgical access assemblies for minimally invasive surgery, including seals. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to valve assembles for surgical access assemblies.

BACKGROUND

In order to facilitate minimally invasive surgery, a working space may be created at the desired surgical site. An insufflation fluid, typically CO2, is introduced into the abdomen of the patient to create an inflated state called a pneumoperitoneum. Surgical access assemblies are utilized to allow the introduction of surgical instrumentation and endoscopes (or other visualization tools) into the insufflated abdomen. These surgical access assemblies help maintain the insufflation pressure of the pneumoperitoneum, as they have one or more seals that adapt to the surgical instrumentation. Typically, a “zero-seal” in the surgical access assembly seals the surgical access assembly in the absence of a surgical instrument in the surgical access assembly, and an instrument seal seals around a surgical instrument that has been inserted through the surgical access assembly.

The breadth of surgical instrumentation on the market today requires a robust seal capable adjusting to instrumentation of multiple sizes and withstanding multiple insertions of surgical instrumentation. Some of the instrumentation can include sharp edges that can tear or otherwise damage seals. Therefore, it would be beneficial to have a surgical access assembly with improved seal durability.

SUMMARY

A surgical access assembly including a valve assembly is provided. The surgical access assembly includes an instrument valve housing and the valve assembly. The instrument valve housing includes upper and lower housing sections and defines a cavity therebetween. The upper housing section has an outward facing surface and the lower housing section has an inward facing surface. The surgical access assembly further includes a valve assembly disposed within the cavity of the instrument valve housing. The valve assembly includes a guard assembly, and a seal assembly disposed adjacent to the guard assembly. The seal assembly has a nonsolid inner circumference. The valve assembly further includes a gimbal mount assembly supporting the guard assembly and the seal assembly. The gimbal mount assembly includes an outer semispherical surface in operable engagement with the inward facing surface of the lower housing section and an inner surface in operable engagement with the outward facing surface of the upper housing section. The gimbal mount assembly is configured to permit angulation of the valve assembly relative to the instrument valve housing.

In embodiments, the gimbal mount assembly includes a gimbal base and a gimbal retainer. The gimbal base may include the outer semispherical surface and the gimbal retainer includes the inner surface. The gimbal base may define a recess, with the gimbal retainer being securely received within the recess. The guard assembly and the seal assembly may be disposed within the recess of the gimbal base. The gimbal base may include a shelf. The guard assembly and the seal assembly may be disposed between the shelf and the gimbal retainer. At least one of the gimbal retainer or the gimbal base may include a plurality of pins and the other of the gimbal retainer or the gimbal base may define a plurality of openings corresponding to the plurality of pins.

In another aspect, an instrument valve housing including upper and lower housing sections is provided. The upper housing section includes an outward facing surface and the lower housing section includes an inward facing surface. The upper and lower housing sections define a cavity therebetween. The instrument valve housing further includes a valve assembly operably disposed within the cavity of the instrument valve housing. The valve assembly includes a guard assembly, a seal assembly disposed adjacent to the guard assembly, and a gimbal mount assembly supporting the guard assembly and the seal assembly. The seal assembly has a nonsolid inner circumference. The gimbal mount assembly includes an outer semispherical surface in operable engagement with the inward facing surface of the lower housing section and an inner surface in operable engagement with the outward facing surface of the upper housing section. The gimbal mount assembly is configured to permit angulation of the valve assembly relative to the instrument valve housing.

In embodiments, the gimbal mount assembly includes a gimbal base and a gimbal retainer. The gimbal base may include the outer semispherical surface and the gimbal retainer includes the inner surface. The gimbal base may define a recess with the gimbal retainer being securely received within the recess. The guard assembly and the seal assembly may be disposed within the recess of the gimbal base. The gimbal base may include a shelf. The guard assembly and the seal assembly may be disposed between the shelf and the gimbal retainer. At least one of the gimbal retainer or the gimbal base may include a plurality of pins and the other of the gimbal retainer or the gimbal base may define a plurality of openings corresponding to the plurality of pins. The seal assembly may include four seal sections.

Also provided is a valve assembly including a guard assembly and a seal assembly disposed adjacent to the guard assembly. The seal assembly has a nonsolid inner circumference. The valve assembly further includes a gimbal mount assembly supporting the guard assembly and the seal assembly. The gimbal mount assembly includes an outer semispherical surface in operable engagement with an inner surface of a lower housing section of an instrument valve housing and an inner surface in operable engagement with an outward facing surface of an upper housing section of the instrument valve housing. The gimbal mount assembly is configured to permit angulation of the valve assembly relative to the instrument valve housing.

In embodiments, the gimbal mount assembly includes a gimbal base and a gimbal retainer. The gimbal base may include the outer semispherical surface and the gimbal retainer includes the inner surface. The gimbal base may define a recess with the gimbal retainer being securely received within the recess.

