Patent ID: 9204868
Filing Date: 2015-12-08
Classification: A61B

Abstract:
1. A method of removing material from within a mammalian cavity of a patient, comprising: inserting a flexible endoscope within an opening to a mammalian cavity of a patient, the flexible endoscope inserted within the opening via a distal end of the endoscope; disposing a surgical cutting assembly within an instrument channel of the flexible endoscope, the surgical cutting assembly inserted into the instrument channel via an instrument channel opening to the instrument channel at a proximal end of the endoscope that remains outside the opening to the mammalian cavity, the surgical cutting assembly including a cutter assembly having an outer cannula, an inner cannula disposed within an outer cannula, and a cutting window defined along a portion of a wall of the outer cannula, a proximal end of the inner cannula coupled to a flexible torque component including one of a torque coil or a torque rope configured to provide torque to the inner cannula, the inner cannula and the flexible torque component defining an aspiration channel that extends along a length of the surgical cutting assembly, the inner cannula configured to rotate relative to the outer cannula to cut material entering the cutting window of the outer cannula, the outer cannula coupled to a flexible outer tubing, the flexible outer tubing configured to cause the outer cannula to rotate relative to the inner cannula, the flexible outer tubing having an outer diameter that is smaller than the instrument channel of the flexible endoscope and the flexible outer tubing having a length that is at least forty times greater than a corresponding length of the outer cannula, the flexible outer tubing having sufficient flexibility to pass through multiple bends within the instrument channel; positioning, by rotating the outer cannula of the surgical cutting assembly, the cutting window at the material within the mammalian cavity to be resected; providing, via the flexible torque component of the surgical cutting assembly, torque sufficient to cause the inner cannula to rotate relative to the outer cannula to resect at least a portion of the material entering the cutting window of the outer cannula; and actuating a vacuum source coupled to the surgical cutting assembly to remove the resected material via the aspiration channel.