Introducer device

1. An introducer for providing a surgical tool with a pathway through tissue to a surgical site, wherein the surgical tool includes at least one surgical instrument, the introducer comprising:

a flexible sheath having a distal portion including a distal end and configured to receive the surgical tool;

a tissue separation tip coupled with the distal portion of the sheath for advancing the sheath into the tissue towards the surgical site, the tissue separation tip being configured to separate tissue to form a tissue gap and provide the at least one surgical instrument access to the tissue gap for performing a medical procedure consonant with the formation of the tissue gap or the performance of work at the surgical site, the tissue separation tip including a plurality of fingers and a corresponding plurality of inflatable members, each of the fingers extending from and hingedly coupled with the sheath distal portion and carrying a respective one of the inflatable members, which, when inflated, serve to separate the tissue and form the tissue gap;

one or more conduits coupled with the inflatable members to transfer an inflating fluid to and from the inflatable members; and

one or more actuators operatively coupled with the fingers to open the fingers, wherein the inflatable members and the fingers are configured such that, during a reconfiguration from a first configuration in which the inflatable members are inflated and the fingers are in a closed configuration to a second configuration in which the inflatable members are fully deflated and the fingers are in an open configuration in which the fingers are oriented substantially parallel to the distal portion of the sheath, substantially constant pressure can be maintained on the separated tissue so as to maintain the tissue gap.

2. The introducer of claim 1 wherein the plurality of fingers are configured to be advanced into the tissue in the closed configuration.

3. The introducer of claim 2 , wherein the plurality of fingers comprise at least two fingers.

4. The introducer of claim 2 , further comprising a control cable associated with each finger.

5. The introducer of claim 2 , further comprising a retraction cable associated with each finger.

6. The introducer of claim 2 , wherein the one or more actuators comprise an actuator associated with each finger, the one or more actuators being configured such that each finger is actuated individually.

7. The introducer of claim 2 , wherein the one or more actuators comprise an actuator associated with each finger, the one or more actuators being configured such that the fingers are opened concurrently.

8. The introducer of claim 2 , wherein the one or more actuators comprise an actuator associated with each finger, the one or more actuators being operative in groups of two or more for opening different groups of the fingers by different amounts.

9. The introducer of claim 2 , further comprising webbing bridging adjacent fingers to apply substantially uniform distributed pressure on the separated tissue.

10. The introducer of claim 1 , wherein each of the inflatable members is individually inflated.

11. The introducer of claim 1 , wherein the inflatable members are concurrently inflated.

12. The introducer of claim 1 , wherein each of at least two selected groups of two or more of the inflatable members is separately inflated.

13. The introducer of claim 1 , further comprising a control cable for opening the fingers.

14. The introducer of claim 1 , further comprising a retraction cable for closing the fingers.

15. The introducer of claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of retraction cables, the retraction cables being configured for the individual closing of the fingers.

16. The introducer of claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of retraction cables, the retraction cables being configured for closing the fingers in selectable groups of two or more for concurrent closing of selected groups of fingers by differing amounts.

17. The introducer of claim 1 , wherein the one or more actuators comprise an actuator associated with each finger, the one or more actuators being configured such that each finger is actuated individually.

18. The introducer of claim 1 , wherein the one or more actuators comprise an actuator associated with each finger, the one or more actuators being configured such that the fingers are opened concurrently.

19. The introducer of claim 1 , wherein the one or more actuators comprise an actuator associated with each finger, the one or more actuators being operative in groups of two or more for opening different groups of the fingers by different amounts.

20. The introducer of claim 1 , further comprising a webbing bridging adjacent fingers to apply uniform distributed pressure on the separated tissue.

21. The introducer of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the inflatable members, when inflated, has a substantially convex outer surface that engages the tissue to form the tissue gap.

22. The introducer of claim 1 , wherein each of the inflatable members, when inflated, has a substantially convex outer surface that engages the tissue to form the tissue gap.

23. An introducer for providing a surgical tool with a pathway through tissue to a surgical site, the introducer comprising:

an elongated flexible sheath configured to receive the surgical tool therein;

a tissue separation tip supported by the sheath and configured to separate tissue to form a tissue gap and provide the surgical tool access to the tissue gap, the tissue separation tip including a plurality of fingers and a corresponding plurality of inflatable members, each of the fingers extending from and hingedly coupled with the sheath and carrying a respective one of the inflatable members, which, when inflated, serve to separate the tissue and form the tissue gap;

one or more conduits coupled with the inflatable members to transfer an inflating fluid to and from the inflatable members; and

one or more actuators operatively coupled with the fingers to open the fingers, wherein the inflatable members and the fingers are configured such that, during a reconfiguration from a first configuration in which the inflatable members are inflated and the fingers are in a closed configuration to a second configuration in which the inflatable members are fully deflated and the fingers are in an open configuration in which the fingers are oriented substantially parallel to the distal portion of the sheath, substantially constant pressure can be maintained on the separated tissue so as to maintain the tissue gap.