Low advance ratio, high reciprocation rate tissue removal device

A tissue removal device comprising:

• a housing having a distal end and a proximal end;
• an outer tube having a proximal end and a distal end, the proximal end of the outer tube being fixed to the distal end of the housing and extending distally therefrom, the distal end of the outer tube including a resection window;
• and
• an inner tube disposed within the outer tube, the inner tube being slidable and rotatable relative to the outer tube so that the distal end of the inner tube moves back and forth across the resection window to sever tissue extending therethrough;
• wherein the inner tube is driven to rotate at a speed of at least 1100 rotations per minute and to oscillate translationally at a rate of at least 1.5 cycles per second with an advance ratio of no more than 0.25, the advance ratio being the ratio of the speed at which the inner tube oscillates translationally to the speed at which the inner tube rotates.