Miniature shredding tools for use in medical applications, methods for making, and procedures for using

A medical device for removing tissue from a patient, comprising:

• a distal housing having a distal end and a proximal end and a longitudinal housing axis extending from the proximal end to the distal end, the housing configured with at least one distally facing tissue engaging opening;
• an elongate member coupled to the proximal end of the distal housing and configured to introduce the distal housing to a target tissue site within a body of the patient, the elongate member having a central longitudinal axis;
• a first rotatable member located only partially within the distal housing and configured to rotate about a singular first axis that is not parallel to the longitudinal housing axis, the first rotatable member comprising a first cutting blade, the first blade having a first side and a second side opposite the first side wherein the first blade has a distal facing end that extends partially from the distally facing tissue engaging opening;
• a first tissue shearing surface located and configured to cooperate with the first side of the first blade to shear tissue therebetween;
• and
• a second tissue shearing surface located and configured to cooperate with the second side of the first blade to shear tissue therebetween, the first rotatable member configured to engage tissue from the target tissue site, rotate towards the first and second tissue shearing surfaces and inwardly to direct tissue from the target tissue site through the tissue engaging opening and into an interior portion of the distal housing, wherein the first cutting blade comprises a disc-shaped portion having a series of teeth along an outer circumference of the first blade.