Patent ID: 8469981

Claim:
An ultrasonic surgical instrument comprising: a housing; an ultrasonic transducer assembly rotatably supported within said housing for selective rotation about a central axis; a motor within said housing and communicating with a source of motor drive signals, said motor coupled to said ultrasonic transducer assembly for selectively applying rotational motion to the ultrasonic transducer assembly to cause the ultrasonic transducer assembly to rotate about the central axis; a slip ring assembly communicating with the ultrasonic transducer assembly to transmit ultrasonic electrical signals from a source of ultrasonic electrical signals, the slip ring assembly capable of transmitting the ultrasonic electrical signals while the ultrasonic transducer assembly is rotated about the central axis; a horn coupled to said ultrasonic transducer assembly; a first sheath coupled to said housing and having a distal tip portion with at least one cutting edge formed thereon; and a blade coupled to said horn and having a tissue-cutting distal end, said blade rotatably supported within said first sheath such that said tissue cutting distal end is biased into cutting engagement with at least said at least one cutting edge on said distal tip portion of said first sheath.