There is provided an apparatus (10) and method for establishing and maintaining in selectively arrestable manner manuary access to a sufflated body cavity of a patient through a fenestration formed in the patients body tissue during a minimally invasive surgical procedure. The apparatus (10) generally comprises a seal section (100) and a sheath section (200) coupled thereto. The seal section (100) includes an endless loop portion (110) that defines an opening (120). The sheath section (200) includes a mouth portion (210), an outer glove portion (230), and a pliable intermediate portion (220) extending therebetween. The outer glove portion (230) defines a plurality of extensions to accommodate the digits of a users hands which are truncated so that they each terminate at a digit opening. When a surgically gloved hand (2) of the user is then inserted into the outer glove portion (230), all or most of the thumb and fingers of the gloved hand pass through the corresponding digit opening (232a-232e, 232a′) so that the surgically gloved thumb and fingers (2) are exposed beyond the outer glove portion (230). The intermediate portion (220) maintains in reconfigurable manner a substantially gas impermeable barrier between the mouth and outer glove portions (210, 230) when the outer glove portion (230) is passed through the opening (120) into the body cavity responsive to manuary actuation. The passage of the outer glove portion (230) through the opening (120) biases at least a part of the intermediate portion (220) to engage the patients body tissue immediately bounding the fenestration, whereby the sufflation of the body cavity is substantially preserved during the minimally invasive surgical procedure.
