Patent ID: 7699846

Claim:
A blade assembly for a surgical instrument including; a) an intermediate hollow tube having a central passageway and a cutting window at a distal end thereof, the tube being substantially straight but having a portion designated for bending, the bend portion being located over a finite distance between its proximal end and the cutting window; b) an inner hollow tube rotatably mounted in the central passageway of the intermediate tube and providing a central suction lumen, the inner tube having a flexible portion corresponding to the bend portion of the intermediate tube; c) a cutting tool disposed at the distal end of the inner tube such that the cutting tool is accessible through the cutting window of the intermediate tube, the cutting tool including a cut-out defining a tissue-cutting edge; d) an outer tube disposed over the intermediate hollow tube and having an opening at its distal end so as to allow access to the cutting window of the intermediate tube, the outer tube having a weakened portion located between the proximal end of the tube and the distal opening therein, the weakened portion corresponding to the bend portion of the intermediate tube, wherein (1) the bend portion of the intermediate hollow tube and the weakened portion of the outer tube are configured to cooperate structurally such that the inter-relationship between the opening in the outer tube and the cutting window in the intermediate tube is substantially the same whether in a first condition in which the outer tube and intermediate tube are straight, or in a second condition in which the outer tube and intermediate tube are bent at the bend portion and weakened portion respectively, and (2) a spacing between the distal ends of each of the intermediate hollow tube and the outer tube is maintained when the surgical instrument is in either the first position or the second position.