Tissue resecting instruments including auxiliary vacuum features

Abstract

A tissue resecting instrument includes a drive assembly coupled to an inner cutting shaft and configured to drive translation and/or rotation of the inner cutting shaft, a trigger coupled to the drive assembly and configured for manual actuation to drive the drive assembly, a vacuum generator configured to generate vacuum to suction cut tissue through the inner cutting shaft and into the vacuum generator, and a tissue collection cartridge configured to engage the housing. The tissue collection cartridge defines a port configured to communicate with the vacuum generator such that the vacuum generator urges cut tissue from the vacuum generator through the port into the tissue collection cartridge. An auxiliary vacuum source is configured to selectively provide additional vacuum to increase suctioning of cut tissue through the inner cutting shaft and into the vacuum generator.

1 - 20 . (canceled) 
     
     
         21 . A tissue resecting system, comprising:
 a housing;   a shaft assembly extending distally from the housing and including at least one shaft configured to at least one of translate or rotate to cut tissue;   a drive assembly coupled to the at least one shaft and configured to drive the at least one of translation or rotation of the at least one shaft;   a vacuum generator coupled to the drive assembly and the at least one shaft, the vacuum generator configured to generate vacuum to suction cut tissue through the shaft assembly; and   an auxiliary vacuum source configured to selectively provide additional vacuum to increase suctioning of cut tissue through the shaft assembly.   
     
     
         22 . The tissue resecting system according to  claim 21 , further comprising:
 a tissue collector configured to communicate with the vacuum generator such that the vacuum generator urges cut tissue into the tissue collector.   
     
     
         23 . The tissue resecting system according to  claim 22 , wherein the tissue collector is a tissue collection cartridge configured to releasably engage the housing. 
     
     
         24 . The tissue resecting system according to  claim 21 , wherein the vacuum generator is configured to suction cut tissue into the vacuum generator during a first portion of the actuation of the drive assembly. 
     
     
         25 . The tissue resecting system according to  claim 24 , wherein vacuum generator is configured to urge the cut tissue from the vacuum generator to a tissue collector during a second, subsequent portion of the actuation of the drive assembly. 
     
     
         26 . The tissue resecting system according to  claim 21 , wherein the auxiliary vacuum source is disposed on or within the housing. 
     
     
         27 . The tissue resecting system according to  claim 21 , wherein the auxiliary vacuum source is configured to releasably couple to the housing. 
     
     
         28 . The tissue resecting system according to  claim 21 , wherein the auxiliary vacuum source includes one of a vacuum accumulator or a vacuum pump. 
     
     
         29 . A tissue resecting system, comprising:
 a housing;   a shaft assembly extending distally from the housing and including at least one shaft configured to at least one of translate or rotate to cut tissue;   a drive assembly coupled to the at least one shaft and configured to drive the at least one of translation or rotation of the at least one shaft;   a vacuum generator coupled to the drive assembly and the at least one shaft, the vacuum generator configured to generate vacuum to suction cut tissue through the at least one shaft;   a tissue collector, wherein the vacuum generator is configured to urge cut tissue into the tissue collector; and   a vacuum accumulator coupled to the vacuum generator and configured to accumulate vacuum, the vacuum accumulator configured to selectively release the accumulated vacuum to provide additional vacuum to increase suctioning of cut tissue through the at least one shaft.   
     
     
         30 . The tissue resecting system according to  claim 29 , wherein the tissue collector is a tissue collection cartridge configured to releasably engage the housing. 
     
     
         31 . The tissue resecting system according to  claim 29 , wherein the vacuum generator is configured to suction cut tissue into the vacuum generator during a first portion of the actuation of the drive assembly. 
     
     
         32 . The tissue resecting system according to  claim 31 , wherein vacuum generator is configured to urge the cut tissue from the vacuum generator to the tissue collector during a second, subsequent portion of the actuation of the drive assembly. 
     
     
         33 . The tissue resecting system according to  claim 29 , wherein the vacuum accumulator is disposed on or within the housing. 
     
     
         34 . The tissue resecting system according to  claim 29 , wherein the vacuum accumulator is configured to releasably couple to the housing. 
     
     
         35 . The tissue resecting system according to  claim 29 , wherein the vacuum accumulator includes an accumulator tank configured to accumulate vacuum therein and a release actuator configured to release the accumulated vacuum to provide the additional vacuum. 
     
     
         36 . The tissue resecting system according to  claim 29 , wherein the vacuum accumulator is configured to incrementally accumulate vacuum upon each actuation of the drive assembly. 
     
     
         37 . A tissue resecting system, comprising:
 a housing;   a shaft assembly extending distally from the housing and including at least one shaft configured to at least one of translate or rotate to cut tissue;   a drive assembly coupled to the at least one shaft and configured to drive the at least one of translation or rotation of the at least one shaft;   a vacuum generator coupled to the drive assembly and the at least one shaft, the vacuum generator configured to generate vacuum to suction cut tissue through the at least one shaft; and   a supplemental vacuum coupled to the vacuum generator, the supplemental vacuum selectively activatable to provide additional vacuum to increase suctioning of cut tissue through the at least one shaft.   
     
     
         38 . The tissue resecting system according to  claim 37 , wherein the supplemental vacuum includes a vacuum pump. 
     
     
         39 . The tissue resecting system according to  claim 37 , wherein one of the vacuum generator or the supplemental vacuum is disposed on or within the housing and wherein the other of the vacuum generator or the supplemental vacuum is separate from the housing. 
     
     
         40 . The tissue resecting system according to  claim 37 , wherein the supplemental vacuum is configured to releasably coupled to the vacuum generator.