Suction downbiter

A surgical instrument for the simultaneous resection and aspiration of tissue, comprising:

• a hollow handpiece having opposed front and back ends;
• an elongated hollow barrel removably received in the front end of said handpiece, said barrel comprising a wall with a distal aperture, the wall of said barrel at said distal aperture defining a first fixed cutting edge;
• an elongated hollow rod movably disposed in said barrel, said hollow rod having a collar and a second cutting edge at a distal end thereof, said first and second cutting edges cooperating to cut the tissue;
• a pivotally connected, spring-loaded trigger having a portion which extends into said handpiece wherein said portion of said trigger cooperates with said collar of said rod to move said rod forward in said barrel when the trigger is pulled;
• a spring disposed on said rod between said collar and a proximal end of said barrel, wherein when the trigger is pulled, the portion of the trigger within the handpiece pivots forward, moving said rod forward, such that said second cutting edge of said rod moves closely past said first cutting edge of said barrel to cut the tissue;
• and
• a suction connection disposed on the back end of said handpiece adapted to be connected to a suction source for aspirating the resected tissue from the instrument.