Patent ID: 8206315
Filing Date: 2012-06-26
Classification: A61B

Abstract:
1. A system for detecting tissue in a patient comprising: a surgical instrument configured for selective insertion into a patient, the surgical instrument further comprising an outer cannula having a tissue sampling aperture positioned adjacent a distal end of the outer cannula; an inner cutting cannula positioned within the outer cannula, the inner cutting cannula including a cutting edge selectively moveable across the tissue sampling aperture to sever tissue; and a sensor configured to detect at least one property of the tissue of said patient, the sensor fixedly attached to an inner surface of the outer cannula so as to contact tissue prolapsed through the sampling aperture, wherein the inner surface of the outer cannula to which the sensor is attached is oriented axially relative to a longitudinal axis of the outer cannula, and is positioned between the tissue sampling aperture and the distal end of the outer cannula.