Patent ID: 6872199

Claim:
An air-powered tissue aspiration device comprising: a hand-holdable housing provided with an air-powered reciprocation mechanism reciprocatable within said hand-holdable housing and a pair of power supply terminals for supplying a radio-frequency (RF) power signal to an electro-cauterizing cannula assembly during tissue aspiration operations, said electro-cauterizing cannula assembly being operably connectable to said hand-holdable housing and including a hollow inner cannula having a distal end and a proximal end and an inner suction aperture about said inner cannula distal end, said inner cannula proximal end further including an outlet port and a continuous passageway which communicates said inner suction aperture with said outlet port, and a hollow outer cannula having a distal end and a proximal end and an outer suction aperture about said outer cannula distal end, said hollow inner cannula being disposed within at least a portion of said hollow outer cannula while permitting aspiration of tissue through said outer and inner suction apertures, along said continuous passageway and out of said outlet port, said hollow inner cannula being operably associatable with said reciprocation means, and said hollow outer cannula being essentially stationary with respect to said hand-holdable housing, so as to effectuate relative sliding movement between said hollow inner and outer cannulas when said air-powered reciprocation mechanism reciprocates, so that the location of said aspiration through said outer and inner suction apertures is periodically displaced; electro-cauterizing means associated with said hollow inner and outer cannulas, for conducting said RE power signal along said hollow inner and outer cannulas and effecting coagulation of protein molecules within the tissue being aspirated through said outer and inner suction apertures; a RF power signal generator for generating said RF power signal; and a flexible cable for conducting said RF power signal and supplying said RF power signal to said powered tissue aspiration device; and a source of pressurized air for powering said air-powered reciprocation mechanism.