Patent ID: 8262683

Claim:
A surgical micro-resecting system comprising: a micro-resecting instrument including: an outer tubular member having a lumen, a proximal section, and a distal section forming a cutting window fluidly connected to the lumen, an inner member disposed within the lumen and having a proximal portion and a distal portion including a cutting tip positioned at the cutting window upon final assembly, a hub assembly maintaining the proximal section and the proximal portion, an electrically non-conductive material covering a region of the outer tubular member distal the hub assembly, wiring electrically connected to the outer tubular member, where the instrument defines a probe surface proximate the cutting window, the probe surface characterized by the absence of the non-conductive material, wherein the probe surface is defined at least in part by the cutting tip, an electrical coupling establishing a continuous electrical communication between the wiring and the inner tubular member, and further wherein an electrical pathway is established from the wiring to the probe surface; a motorized handpiece selectively coupled to the hub assembly for rotating the inner member relative to the outer tubular member, wherein the hub assembly is configured to electrically isolate the micro-resecting instrument from the motorized handpiece; and an evoked potential monitoring device having an energy source selectively coupled to the wiring for applying a stimulation energy to the probe surface via the wiring and configured to evaluate a proximity of the probe surface relative to a bodily structure of interest.