Suture passer

A surgical instrument comprising:

• a shaft, comprising a tubular member having a proximal end and a distal end, a lumen extending between the proximal and distal ends, and a tip distal to the tubular member, the tip including a recess defining a trough cutout into a sidewall of the shaft, the trough having a first width defined by two diagonal sidewalls cut into the sidewall of the shaft to define a bottom of the trough and an area where a portion of the shaft sidewall is missing, the diagonal sidewalls running parallel to a length of the shaft;
• and
• a handle connected to the proximal end of the shaft;
• wherein the shaft includes a distal portion having an opening in the sidewall thereof, proximal to the tip, the opening in communication with the lumen through a slot in the sidewall adjacent to the opening, the slot having sidewalls forming a second width in a circumference of the sidewall of the shaft;
• wherein the instrument further comprises a suture snare, the snare being slidably receivable within the lumen and the slot, and movable through the slot between extended and retracted positions for capturing the suture, the snare including a pre-bend;
• and
• wherein the first width and the second width each have a narrow tolerance relative to the snare and the bottom of the trough is on a distal side of the shaft and the slot is on a proximal side of the shaft, the proximal side being opposite the distal side with respect to the circumference of the shaft to bias the pre-bend of the snare to remain in a plane with the sidewalls of the slot and the sidewalls of the recess to prevent the snare from rotating.