Vacuum-Assisted Microscale Cutting Device
First Claim
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1. A microscale cutting device comprising:
- a housing defining a vacuum chamber within the housing;
a microknife mounted within the vacuum chamber of the housing;
a vacuum connector in communication with the vacuum chamber and adapted to be coupled to a vacuum source for creating a vacuum pressure within the housing.
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Abstract
A vacuum-assisted microscale cutting instrument applies a vacuum pressure to pull an area of tissue towards a microknife. The cutting instrument can be configured to make one or more stabbing cuts or a slicing cut, and the housing of the instrument is shaped to address any of a variety of tissue geometries to allow a vacuum seal to be created therewith. To achieve a consistent cut depth in the tissue, a depth stop may be used to prevent the knife from cutting deeper than a predetermined depth.
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Citations
46 Claims
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1. A microscale cutting device comprising:
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a housing defining a vacuum chamber within the housing; a microknife mounted within the vacuum chamber of the housing; a vacuum connector in communication with the vacuum chamber and adapted to be coupled to a vacuum source for creating a vacuum pressure within the housing. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A device for performing a microscale operation on tissue, the device comprising:
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a housing defining a vacuum chamber within the housing and configured to be placed over an area of tissue; a vacuum connector in communication with the vacuum chamber and adapted to be coupled to a vacuum source for creating a vacuum pressure within the housing; and a surgical tool mounted within the vacuum chamber of the housing. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27)
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28. A method for performing microscale cutting, the method comprising:
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placing a housing of a microscale cutting device against an area of tissue to be treated to create a vacuum seal with the tissue, wherein the cutting device comprises a microknife mounted within the housing; reducing the pressure within the housing of the microscale cutting device relative to outside the housing, thereby causing a portion of the tissue to tend to be forced toward the housing; and cutting into the tissue with the microknife. - View Dependent Claims (29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46)
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Specification