Multi-planar obturator with foldable retractor

1. A surgical access device, comprising:

an obturator having an elongate shaft configured to create a pathway through tissue and into a body cavity, the elongate shaft being radially expandable; and

a flexible retractor having a longitudinal opening extending therethrough and configured to form a pathway through tissue for providing access to a body cavity, the flexible retractor including first and second longitudinal folds formed therein and configured such that insertion of the elongate shaft of the obturator into the opening in a first position and radial expansion of the elongate shaft unfolds the first longitudinal fold, and repositioning the elongate shaft to a second position, different than the first position within the opening unfolds the second longitudinal fold to radially expand the longitudinal opening and thereby increase a size of a pathway formed through tissue when the flexible retractor is disposed within tissue.

2. The surgical access device of claim 1 , wherein the obturator includes an actuator effective to expand and retract the elongate shaft.

3. The surgical access device of claim 1 , wherein the flexible retractor includes third and fourth longitudinal folds formed therein, wherein the first fold and the third fold are opposed and the second fold and the fourth fold are opposed.

4. The surgical access device of claim 3 , wherein the elongate shaft is configured to expand in a first direction to unfold the first and third longitudinal folds when the elongate shaft is in the first position, and the elongate shaft is configured to expand in a second direction to unfold the second and fourth longitudinal folds when t is in the seco position.

5. The surgical access device of claim 4 , wherein the first direction and the second direction are offset by approximately 90 degrees.

6. The surgical access device of claim 1 , wherein the first and second longitudinal folds are biased to a folded state and to an unfolded state.

7. The surgical access device of claim 1 , wherein the cross-sectional shape of the elongate shaft is oblong in an expanded configuration.

8. The surgical access device of claim 1 , wherein the elongate shaft has first and second expansion members coupled thereto, and radial expansion of the elongate shaft includes moving the first and second expansion members from an unexpanded configuration to an expanded configuration, wherein a longitudinal axis of each of the first and second expansion members are substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis of the elongate shaft both in the unexpanded configuration and in the expanded configuration.

9. The surgical access device of claim 8 , wherein each of the first and second expansion members can be independently expanded without expanding the other of the first and second expansion members.

10. The surgical access device of claim 8 , wherein the first and second expansion members are coupled to the elongate shaft by first and second linkages.

11. The surgical access device of claim 1 , wherein the elongate shaft is configured to be rotated within the longitudinal opening when the elongate shaft extends through the longitudinal opening, the elongate shaft being in a first rotated position to unfold the first longitudinal fold and in a second rotated position, different from the first rotated position to unfold the second longitudinal fold.

12. The surgical access device of claim 1 , wherein after unfolding the first longitudinal fold, the elongate shaft is configured to be radially contracted, and after the elongate shaft is repositioned to the second position, the elongate shaft is configured to be radially expanded to unfold the second longitudinal fold.

13. The surgical access device of claim 1 , wherein the obturator is configured to expand the flexible retractor asymmetrically when the obturator unfolds the first longitudinal fold.

14. The surgical access device of claim 1 , wherein the second longitudinal fold remains in a folded configuration when the first longitudinal fold is unfolded.

15. A surgical access device, comprising:

an elongate flexible member having proximal and distal ends and a sidewall extending therebetween and defining a longitudinal opening extending through the elongate flexible member for providing a pathway through tissue into a body cavity, the elongate flexible member being movable between a first position in which the elongate flexible member has first and second longitudinal folds formed in the sidewall and a second position in which the second longitudinal fold remains folded and the first longitudinal fold in the sidewall is unfolded such that a width of the longitudinal opening is increased from a width of the longitudinal opening in the first position, and wherein the elongate flexible member is biased to each of the first and second positions, and wherein the distal end has a semi-rigid ring therein, the semi-rigid ring having at least one fold formed therein that is configured to allow the semi-rigid ring to fold at the at least one fold.

16. The surgical access device of claim 15 , further comprising a connector mated to the proximal end of the elongate flexible member, the connector having a seal housing removably disposed therein and having at least one seal disposed therein and configured to seal the longitudinal opening of the elongate flexible member.

17. The surgical access device of claim 15 , wherein the elongate flexible member has two additional longitudinal folds formed in the sidewall.

18. The surgical access device of claim 15 , wherein the first and second longitudinal folds extends through the distal end of the elongate flexible member.

19. The surgical access device of claim 15 , wherein the proximal and distal ends are flared with respect to the sidewall.