A rongeur including a stationary shaft having a length that terminates in a foot plate, a cutting slide slideably coupled with the stationary shaft and terminating in a cutting edge, a breach extending between the foot plate and the cutting edge for receiving human tissue, and handle means for slidably moving the cutting slide longitudinally relative to the shaft member. The cutting slide is provided with a pair of opposing tracking arms arranged about a distal end of the cutting slide and a third tracking arm arranged about the proximal end of the cutting slide. The tracking arms are slidably and detachably received within corresponding tracking slots in the shaft member when the rongeur is in a closed position. The tracking arms are disengaged from the tracking slots by rotating the cutting slide about a pivot axis that extends substantially parallel to the length of the shaft member thereby placing the rongeur in an open position.
