Suture passer

The present disclosure concerns a surgical instrument (10) for manipulating suture. In particular, the present disclosure relates to an instrument for passing suture through tissue. There is described a surgical instrument having a shaft (11) and a handle (12) connected to the proximal end of the shaft. The shaft is formed from a tubular member having a proximal end and a distal end, with a lumen extending between the proximal and distal ends, and a tip (14) distal to the tubular member. The shaft also includes a distal portion (13) having an opening in a sidewall, proximal to the tip. The opening is in communication with the lumen through a side channel (23). The instrument further includes a suture snare (15), the snare being slidably receivable within the lumen and side channel, and movable between extended and retracted positions for capturing suture.