A bi-directional suture passing instrument configured to approximate soft tissue defects, the suture passing instrument comprising: a body member defining a needle receiving channel; a boom arm extending from the body member, the boom arm having a boom arm housing (198; 1718; 1784; 1850) that is spaced from the body member, wherein a tissue-receiving gap is disposed between the boom arm housing (198; 1718; 1784; 1850) and the body member; a needle (34; 1670; 1750; 1800) reciprocally translatable within the channel of the body member between an advanced position in which a distal end of the needle (34; 1670; 1750; 1800) extends into the boom arm housing (198; 1718; 1784; 1850), and a retracted position in which the distal end of the needle (34; 1670; 1750; 1800) is retracted from the boom arm housing (198; 1718; 1784; 1850); and a shuttling element (40; 1674; 1754; 1804) configured to detachably couple to the needle (34; 1670; 1750; 1800), and to the boom arm housing (198; 1718; 1784; 1850), characterized in that (i) when the shuttling element (40; 1674; 1754; 1804) is detachably coupled to the needle (34; 1670; 1750; 1800), rotation of the needle (34; 1670; 1750; 1800) relative to the boom arm housing (198; 1718; 1784; 1850) causes the shuttling element (40; 1674; 1754; 1804) to detachably couple to the boom arm housing (198; 1718; 1784; 1850), and (ii) when the shuttling element (40; 1674; 1754; 1804) is detachably coupled to the boom arm housing (198; 1718; 1784; 1850), rotation of the needle (34; 1670; 1750; 1800) relative to the shuttling element (40; 1674; 1754; 1804) causes the needle (34; 1670; 1750; 1800) to detachably couple to the shuttling element (40; 1674; 1754; 1804). a body member defining a needle receiving channel; a boom arm extending from the body member, the boom arm having a boom arm housing (198; 1718; 1784; 1850) that is spaced from the body member, wherein a tissue-receiving gap is disposed between the boom arm housing (198; 1718; 1784; 1850) and the body member; a needle (34; 1670; 1750; 1800) reciprocally translatable within the channel of the body member between an advanced position in which a distal end of the needle (34; 1670; 1750; 1800) extends into the boom arm housing (198; 1718; 1784; 1850), and a retracted position in which the distal end of the needle (34; 1670; 1750; 1800) is retracted from the boom arm housing (198; 1718; 1784; 1850); and a shuttling element (40; 1674; 1754; 1804) configured to detachably couple to the needle (34; 1670; 1750; 1800), and to the boom arm housing (198; 1718; 1784; 1850), characterized in that (i) when the shuttling element (40; 1674; 1754; 1804) is detachably coupled to the needle (34; 1670; 1750; 1800), rotation of the needle (34; 1670; 1750; 1800) relative to the boom arm housing (198; 1718; 1784; 1850) causes the shuttling element (40; 1674; 1754; 1804) to detachably couple to the boom arm housing (198; 1718; 1784; 1850), and (ii) when the shuttling element (40; 1674; 1754; 1804) is detachably coupled to the boom arm housing (198; 1718; 1784; 1850), rotation of the needle (34; 1670; 1750; 1800) relative to the shuttling element (40; 1674; 1754; 1804) causes the needle (34; 1670; 1750; 1800) to detachably couple to the shuttling element (40; 1674; 1754; 1804).