Patent ID: 6551254
Filing Date: 2003-04-22
Classification: A61B

Abstract:
An instrument for collecting body tissue, comprising:a hollow cutting member having a distal end defining an opening, wherein at least a portion of the distal end is sharpened sufficiently to penetrate body tissue; and a flexible cutting member, having a distal end and a proximal end, extendably disposed over the exterior surface of the hollow cutting member, the flexible cutting member having a distal planar blade capable of lying substantially flush with the opening of the hollow cutting member, wherein at least a portion of the blade includes a cutting edge for cutting tissue located in the opening of the hollow cutting member when the flexible cutting member is extended along the hollow cutting member and wherein the blade surface is biased such that the blade covers a sufficient portion of the opening of the hollow cutting member when the flexible cutting member is extended along the hollow cutting member to cut tissue located at the opening of the hollow cutting member and retain the tissue in the interior of the hollow cutting member.