Muscle biopsy device

Claim 1

Biopsy means for obtaining muscle tissue specimens from a body and comprising: a. blade means in the form of a rigid generally rectangular parallelepipedon with opposed upper and lower surfaces and opposed lateral edges and having a shank portion with a tapered pointed distal puncturing and cutting tip; b. hollow rectangular sheath means slidably enveloping said blade means and providing a hollow blade-receiving sleeve with the distal tip end of each surface of said sheath being tapered in continuation with the taper formed on said blade and forming an extension of said pointed puncturing and cutting tip; c. a slot formed in said blade means and arranged obliquely to the central axis and extending toward the tip end thereof to form a generally sharpened hook in said blade spaced from the tip thereof and disposed on said upper surface along said shank portion and adjacent said tapered zone, said hook having a point directed toward the proximate end of said blade and comprising an overhanging barb forming a sample-retaining cavity with opposed blade and barb walls, said cavity having an inner end wall surface disposed generally within said shank portion; d. said barb being rigid and having a generally trianguLar configuration with a sharpened tip and sharpened lateral cutting edges; e. said blade being slidable within said sheath between retracted and extended dispositions, with the forward edges of said sheath enclosing said barb when said blade is in said retracted disposition and with the sharpened tip of said barb being exposed when said blade is in said extended disposition.