Patent ID: 7749237

Claim:
A suture passer comprising: a hollow cannula having a central passage sized to receive a surgical suture, the hollow cannula extending along a path, and a plurality of shoulders along the length of the hollow cannula, wherein at each shoulder, an outside diameter of the cannula decreases more steeply toward the distal end of the cannula; a manually graspable handle adapted to engage the hollow cannula, the handle having a distal end and a proximal end; a first suture guide positioned proximate the distal end of the handle to guide the surgical suture; and a second suture guide positioned proximally of the first suture guide to guide the surgical suture; wherein the path comprises nonplanar curves positioned at the distal end of the hollow cannula, wherein the curves, collectively, follow a generally helical pathway, wherein the curves, collectively, terminate after making a less than full-circle rotation along the generally helical pathway.