Patent ID: 7828746

Claim:
A method of obtaining a plurality of tissue samples from a site within a body of a patient, comprising: advancing a device configured to obtain the plurality of tissue samples to the site within the body of the patient, the device including a sheath and an elongated member having a tissue sampling portion, the elongated member defining an interior passage and a plurality of openings for receiving the plurality of tissue samples and being in communication with the interior passage, the tissue sampling portion including a plurality of barbs disposed about and extending from an outer surface of the elongated member in a uniform direction, the elongated member being slidably coupled to the sheath, the tissue sampling portion being in a housed position when the plurality of barbs are disposed inside of the sheath and being in a deployed position when the plurality of barbs are disposed outside of the sheath, the tissue sampling portion being in the housed position during the advancing; disposing the tissue sampling portion in the deployed position; after the disposing, severing and removing the plurality of tissue samples from the site within the body of the patient via at least two barbs from the plurality of barbs, the tissue sampling portion being rotated about an axis substantially parallel with a longitudinal axis of the elongated member to simultaneously sever and remove the plurality of tissue samples from the site within the body of the patient; and withdrawing the device from the site within the body of the patient.