Patent ID: 7981051

Claim:
A system for collecting one or more tissue specimens from a target site within a patient, for use with a vacuum source, the system comprising: a fluid system having a fluid source containing a tissue washing fluid; a proximal housing; an elongated probe component mounted to the proximal housing, the elongated probe component having a tubular section, the tubular section having a tissue receiving aperture; an elongated tissue cutting member movably disposed within the tubular section, the elongated tissue cutting member having a proximal end, a distal end, and an inner lumen extending between the proximal end and the distal end, the distal end having a cutting edge to sever tissue received in the tissue receiving aperture; a tissue specimen collector connected to the proximal housing portion and positioned over the proximal end of the elongated tissue cutting member, the tissue specimen collector having an interior, a washing fluid port, and a vacuum port, the washing fluid port and the vacuum port being in fluid communication with the interior of the tissue specimen collector, the washing fluid port being coupled in fluid communication with the fluid system and the vacuum port being configured for coupling to the vacuum source, the tissue specimen collector having a tissue collection tray having a grated portion removably received in the interior along a longitudinal extent of the elongated tissue cutting member with the proximal end of the elongated tissue cutting member extending over the grated portion, and the tissue collection tray being removable from the interior along the longitudinal extent of the elongated tissue cutting member; a controller configured for communicative coupling to the fluid system and configured for communicative coupling to the vacuum source, the controller being configured to control a vacuum presented to the tissue specimen collector to draw a tissue specimen severed by the elongated tissue cutting member though the inner lumen of the elongated tissue cutting member to deposit the tissue specimen in the tissue collection tray, and the controller being configured to control a fluid flow of the tissue washing fluid from the fluid system to the tissue specimen collector to wash the tissue specimen deposited in the tissue collection tray.