Patent attributes
A minimally invasive surgical assembly includes an outer hollow needle which may be used in puncturing skin to insert and advance the surgical instrument into the body, and a coaxial surgical instrument having a shaft which extends through the outer hollow needle. The outer diameter of the needle may be dimensioned such that a wound formed from the hollow needle puncturing the skin is capable of being closed independent of stitching, and may be approximately 2 mm or smaller. The coaxial surgical instrument includes end effectors at the end of the shaft which are biased to an open position such that when the end effectors of the surgical instrument extend out of the needle they open, and they are closed by relative movement of the needle over them. The assembly preferably includes a first fixing element which is used to fix the relative location of the surgical instrument and the needle. The assembly also preferably includes a second fixing element which moves relative to the needle and is located on the outside thereof and which is used to fix the relative location of the needle to the patient.
