Patent attributes
A suture passing device has a curved, slotted shaft with a piercing end and an integral suture grasper, allowing the surgeon to pierce through a first tissue portion with the device and extend a looped portion of monofilament loaded within the shaft into the repair site. The shaft is then rotated so that the monofilament is allowed to fall out of the shaft through the slot. The surgeon then pierces a second tissue portion with the device and extends the suture grasper to capture the looped portion of monofilament. The monofilament is retrieved through the second tissue portion and a suture is passed through the looped portion of the monofilament. Finally, the flexible member is used to pull the suture through the tissue and the suture can be tensioned to close the hip capsule.
