Patent ID: 7842050

Claim:
A surgical device for passing suture through soft tissue comprising: a cylindrical body having a lumen; an elongate member positioned substantially within and slideable through the lumen of the body, the elongate member including a distal portion having superelastic properties, the distal portion further including a transverse opening for carrying a suture therein, and wherein the suture is positionable completely outside of the lumen of the cylindrical body; a first jaw and a second jaw connected to the body and encompassing at least a portion of the elongate member, one of the jaws moveable relative to the other and having an opening, which is substantially transverse to a long axis of the moveable jaw, for allowing the distal portion of the elongate member therethrough and to the soft tissue; and a puncturing projection at the most distal end of the distal portion of the elongate member and slideable through the lumen of the body, the puncturing projection movable between a first position wherein the distal portion of the elongate member is in a substantially straight stressed configuration substantially contained within the lumen of the cylindrical body and between the first jaw and the second jaw and a second position wherein the distal portion of the elongate member is in a substantially curved unstressed configuration and extendable distally through and beyond the opening in the first jaw such that the opening in the distal portion carrying the strand of suture is positioned completely outside of the first jaw and the second jaw.