Inflatable isolation bag

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One aspect of the invention relates to collapsible structures which may be deployed and inflated either pneumatically or hydraulically to form rigid or semi-rigid shaped medical devices.
Such medical devices may, for example, be employed as retractors in minimally invasive surgical procedures such as laparoscopy- In this suggested application, the medical devices may be stored in a confined space, e.
g.
, a small diameter tubular member.
The member may then be inserted into, for example, the abdominal cavity through a device known as a trocar.
Upon clearing the trocar, the expandable end of the device can be physically deployed by movement from its storage location and via inflation with a suitable medium such as air or saline solution.
Upon deployment, the device assumes its preferred shape which may be, for example, similar to a spatula and can be used to safely move organs around in order to improve visualization for the surgical procedure.
This example is but one possible use.
It will be immediately apparent to those skilled in the art that given the multiplicity of possible shapes which may be manufactured, numerous other uses exist.
For instance, the collapsible device can be a bag-shaped device for use as a containment for surgically removed tissue.
In this case, the device can be inserted into, for example, the abdominal cavity through a trocar.
Upon exiting the trocar the device can be physically ejected distally to the trocar and subsequently deployed via inflation with a suitable medium such as air or saline solution.
Upon deployment, the device assumes its preferred bag shape and can be used to safely contain and subsequently allow withdrawal of inflamed and bacterially contaminated organs.
According to a first aspect of the invention, a collapsible, fluid actuated medical device, such as a retractor, comprising an inflated structure is provided which offers a firm but slightly yielding surface.
This surface is preferably extremely atraumatic when used in contact with biological tissue