Kalamazoo, Michigan-based Stryker has just launched Cobra, its reusable suture passing technology for use in rotator cuff repair. According to the company, this first-of-its-kind technology “leverages novel needle manufacturing and an innovative jaw design to produce the first reusable needle technology.”
Stryker Launches COBRA Suture Passer for Rotator Cuff Repair
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According to Stryker, “Compared to other suture passers on the market, Cobra offers improved needle stiffness to address issues associated with intraoperative misfires and distal tip needle breakages. In addition, the value-based robust needle technology offers customers a more cost-effective solution.
This suture passer utilizes technology that Stryker acquired from Arthrogenx, LLC in 2017.”
“We are excited about the launch of the Cobra technology because it provides a unique opportunity for us to significantly increase clinical performance from the current standard of care, while also reducing cost to customers,” said Matt Moreau, Stryker’s Sports Medicine Vice President and General Manager. “We recognize that our customers will continue to be under tremendous pressure to increase quality while also reducing cost. Launching the Cobra passer will allow Stryker to better partner with our customers and align with their financial objectives while also improving patient safety.”
Moreau told OTW, “With the unique machining process and design of the needle, we were confident we could make it reusable, but seeing the needle perform consistently over thousands of passes really demonstrated the idea would work across high volume customers and challenging rotator cuff pathology.”
“The core clinical need we were focused on assessing during the development was improving clinical performance around current suture passer misfires and tip breakages, and the opportunity for cost efficiency was the byproduct of that design. Given Cobra delivers on clinical performance, patient safety and cost, we are really excited about the opportunity to better partner with our customers.”
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This is a fascinating development. In my practice we've seen similar outcomes with the revised protocol. The key differentiator seems to be patient selection criteria. Has anyone else noticed the correlation with BMI thresholds?
Great point. I'd push back slightly on the conclusion, the sample size in the cited study is too small to draw population-level inferences. That said, the directional signal is compelling and worth a larger RCT.
We implemented a similar approach last year. Early results are promising but we're still gathering 12-month follow-up data. Happy to share our protocol if anyone is interested.
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