Suture Passer With Tissue Reinforcement Positioner

Abstract

The present disclosure describes a suture passer device that includes a handle, a shaft extending from the handle, a suture carrier secured to the handle and extending through the shaft, and a suturing head extending from the shaft and configured to retain tissue. The handle is operable to advance the suture carrier through the suturing head to pass a suture through tissue retained in the suturing head. According to one aspect of the present disclosure, the suture passer device includes a quick-connect mechanism releasably connecting the shaft to the handle. According to another aspect of the present disclosure, the shaft includes a first shaft and a second shaft pivotally coupled to the first shaft, and the first shaft defines a first channel for receiving the second shaft. Methods of disassembling the suture passer device are also described.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.