Team Members: Lautaro Alvarez, Justin Lee, Manning MacAvoy, Emi Pinto  

Department: Mechanical Engineering

Our project aims to improve Tigon Medical’s suture passer by reducing jaw friction and optimizing needle geometry, increasing rotator cuff tissue puncture reliability and reducing surgeon hand strain during rotator cuff repairs.

Suture passers are essential tools in arthroscopic rotator cuff repairs, significantly affecting surgical efficiency and outcomes. Tigon Medical’s suture passer, sometimes fails to puncture the rotator cuff tissue, requiring repeated attempts or even pre-mature needle replacement. Our project addresses these challenges by redesigning key components—specifically, reducing friction in the lower jaw member and optimizing needle geometry—to increase force transmission and decrease the required puncture force. These improvements directly contribute to more reliable tissue penetration and reduced hand strain, allowing surgeons to perform suture passing more efficiently and comfortably. The enhancements minimize procedure delays, lower operating costs, and ultimately support better patient outcomes.