Patent ID: 8609041

Claim:
An apparatus for solubilizing tissue, comprising: a housing, comprising a vacuum chamber and a passage, wherein the vacuum chamber comprises an outer wall, an inner wall, an upper wall, and an interior, wherein the outer wall, the inner wall, and the upper wall define the interior, and wherein the inner wall is radially inward of the outer wall, wherein the vacuum chamber is configured to selectively generate an air pressure within the interior that is less than ambient air pressure, wherein the interior is configured to be operatively connected to the tissue, wherein the passage is configured to be operatively connected to the tissue; an energy source configured to be operatively connected to the tissue to apply energy to the tissue, wherein the energy source is configured to access the tissue through the passage; and a reservoir housing configured to contain a liquefaction promoting medium, the reservoir housing being operatively connected to apply the liquefaction promoting medium to the tissue, the reservoir housing and the energy source being operatively connected to solubilize the tissue with the liquefaction promoting medium and the energy from the energy source.