Patent ID: 7704262

Claim:
In a suture passer comprising: a handle having an axis, a proximal end and a distal end; a path within said handle for guiding a suture to a predetermined point; a hollow needle having a lumen, a proximal end and a distal end, and attachable to said handle at the distal end of said handle; user-operable wheel means on said handle for engaging said suture at said predetermined point and moving it into the lumen of said hollow needle; the improvement comprising: connector means interposed between said distal end of said handle and said proximal end of said needle for attaching said needle to said handle in a selected one of a plurality of discrete predetermined rotational positions and holding said needle in the selected position; wherein said connector means comprises: an axially-extending projection formed on the distal end of said handle, said projection having a recess formed therein, said recess receiving a hub of said needle, said recess and said hub comprising cooperating longitudinal slots in one of said hub and said recess and transverse pins in the other of said hub and said recess, said slots and said pins being spaced radially around said hub and said recess, such that as said hub is inserted into said recess the hub and recess must be radially aligned such that said pins slide in said slots, such that said hub can only be received in said recess at a plurality of discrete radial positions, a rotatable collar fitting over said projection and being formed to define a central aperture for receiving said hub of said needle, said collar having a flange extending inwardly from said aperture and having outwardly-extending keyways formed therein for receiving transversely-outwardly extending tabs formed on said hub, whereby said collar must be rotated to a specified position with respect to said projection in order that said cooperating longitudinal slots and transverse pins will allow said hub to be passed through the aperture in said collar and inserted into the recess formed in the projection, and whereby said collar can thereafter be rotated to a second position in order that said flange of said collar passes distally over the transversely-extending tabs on said hub, so as to retain said hub in a position fixed with respect to said body; and means for securing said collar in said second position.