Importance

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Abstract

A piercing device for use with an essentially rigid medical instrument having a proximal portion and a distal portion including working means for performing some medical procedure in an internal portion of the body of a living being. The piercing device comprises a guide member having a handle at the proximal end. The guide member comprises an elongated trough shaped, U-shaped, sidewall having an inner surface, and a distal end in the form of a piercing tip. The device is arranged to be held so that the piercing tip can be pierced through the skin and at least a portion of the underlying tissue to form a trough shaped percutaneous puncture. The tissue contiguous with the puncture engages the inner and outer surfaces of the sidewall to form a generally fluid tight interface therebetween. The working means of the instrument can be readily slid along the inner surface of the guide member after the device has formed the percutaneous puncture so that the working means passes through the trough shaped puncture into the being's body. The piercing device is then removed from the percutaneous puncture, leaving the instrument in place with the tissue contiguous with the puncture closely engaging peripheral portions of the instrument at a fluid tight interface so that substantially no fluid leaks out of the interface and so that the working means can be operated to perform the procedure.

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First Claim