Surgical scraping instrument

Claim 1

A surgical scraping instrument, comprising: an elongated, tubular, substantially rectilinear suction tube having a material-receiving end, with the remaining end thereof adapted for connection to means for producing a negative pressure within said tube, said material-receiving end being obliquely cut relative to the longitudinal axis of said tube and only partially across the diameter of the latter, for presenting an obliquely disposed planar surface having a generally elliptical, material-receiving opening therein at said material-receiving end, along with cooperable material-catching structure defined at least in part by the uncut portion of said tube adjacent and opposite to said opening, said material-catching structure also including an end wall portion at the extreme end of said uncut portion remote from said remaining end which extends towards said opening; and a scraping element including a unitary loop of material presenting a pair of converging legs respectively connected to the material-receiving end of said tube on opposite sides of said opening and with said end wall portion therebetween, and an arcuate bight segment in spaced relationship to said opening and interconnecting said legs, said spaced legs being oriented such that a majority of the lengths of the upper edges of the legs, when said tube is positioned with said opening facing upwardly, lie in a reference plane oriented at an acute angle relative to the longitudinal axis of said tube and at an obtuse angle relative to said planar surface, and with a portion of the edges of said legs being located at a first level above said opening, at least the central portion of said bight segment remote from said opening being oriented such that the uppermost section thereof, when said tube is positioned with said opening facing upwardly, presents a protruding portion which lies at a second level above said reference plane and opening, at least the edge of said bight segment contiguous with said leg edges being configured to present a scraping surface, said scraping surface, opening and material-catching structure being cooperatively configured and oriented for catching material loosened by movement of said scraping surface along a uterine wall or the like.