Patent ID: 8052706
Filing Date: 2011-11-08
Classification: A61B

Abstract:
1. An angled rotary tissue cutting instrument for cutting anatomical tissue, comprising an elongate angled outer tubular member having a distal end, a longitudinal internal passage, an open proximal end communicating with said passage, an angled region between said distal end and said proximal end, and an opening in said distal end communicating with said passage; and a flexible inner member for being rotatably disposed within said outer tubular member, said inner member having a distal end, a proximal end, a tubular body between said distal end of said inner member and said proximal end of said inner member, a cutting element at said distal end of said inner member, said cutting element being exposed from said opening to cut anatomical tissue when said inner member is rotated within said outer tubular member, and a flexible region for being disposed within said angled region to transmit torque to rotate said cutting element while conforming to the configuration of said angled region when said inner member is rotated within said outer tubular member, said tubular body having a central longitudinal axis and a cylindrical wall with an external diameter surface, an internal diameter surface, and a wall thickness between said external diameter surface and said internal diameter surface, said flexible region consisting of a labyrinthine cut formed in said tubular body to extend entirely through said wall thickness, said tubular body being a rigid tube prior to said labyrinthine cut being formed therein, said labyrinthine cut having a starting end on said tubular body and a terminating end on said tubular body, said labyrinthine cut extending longitudinally along said tubular body and extending rotationally about said central longitudinal axis in a forward direction of said labyrinthine cut from said starting end to said terminating end, said labyrinthine cut including a plurality of labyrinthine areas rotationally spaced about said central longitudinal axis, said labyrinthine cut defining a labyrinth configuration in each of said labyrinthine areas, said labyrinthine cut consisting of a plurality of disconnected cut sections arranged in succession on said tubular body in said forward direction of said labyrinthine cut, each of said cut sections having a single connecting segment connected with no more than two curled segments respectively disposed at opposite ends of said connecting segment and curling in opposite directions from said connecting segment, each of said labyrinthine areas being formed by the cooperative arrangement of one curled segment of a cut section with an opposed curled segment of a next succeeding cut section in said forward direction, each of said labyrinth configurations comprising a first major curve and a first minor curve defined by said one curled segment and a second major curve and a second minor curve defined by said opposed curled segment, said first minor curve being joined to said first major curve and being of reverse curvature to said first major curve, said second minor curve being of reverse curvature to said first minor curve, said second major curve being joined to said second minor curve and being of reverse curvature to said second minor curve, said first minor curve being disposed within said second major curve and being spaced from said second major curve in a direction radial to said second major curve, said second minor curve being disposed within said first major curve and being spaced from said first major curve in a direction radial to said first major curve, said labyrinthine cut in said tubular body imparting sufficient strength and rigidity to said flexible region for said flexible region to transmit torque to rotate said cutting element to cut anatomical tissue.