Patent ID: 8721668

Claim:
A medical device for severing tissue in a minimally invasive medical procedure, the device comprising: a tubular body including: a tubular wall defining a lumen extending longitudinally through the tubular body; a proximal end; a distal end opposite the proximal end; a window extending through the tubular wall, the window including a length greater than a width of the window, the length of the window being generally parallel with a length of the tubular body; and a hole defined in the distal end, the hole leading to the lumen and opening in a direction that is generally parallel with a longitudinal axis of the lumen; an inner body occupying at least a portion of the lumen and including: a proximal end; a distal end opposite the proximal end, the distal end of the inner body including a tissue piercing tip; an exterior surface located between the proximal and the distal ends of the inner body; and a plurality of saw teeth defined in the exterior surface and fixed relative to the exterior surface; and a proximal handle coupled to the proximal end of the tubular body, the proximal handle including an actuator coupled to the proximal end of the inner body and configured to displace the inner body within the lumen between a non-deployed state and a deployed state, wherein: the plurality of saw teeth are hidden within the tubular body so as to be covered by the wall of the tubular body when the inner body is in the non-deployed state; and the plurality of saw teeth are exposed at the window when the inner body is in the deployed state, wherein the tissue piercing tip is contained within the lumen when the inner body is in the non-deployed state, and wherein at least a portion of the inner body extends distally out of the hole such that the tissue piercing tip is outside the tubular body when the inner body is in the deployed state; and a distal handle configured for releasable engagement with the inner body near the distal end of the inner body.