Internal (faculty, staff, TA)
BME
2025-2026
Fall
Winter
Spring

Suture Sense

Suture Sense

Summary

Real‑time suture tension feedback for safer hernia repairs.

A mechanical, surgeon‑friendly tool designed to standardize closure tension and reduce recurrence.

 

WHY THIS MATTERS

Ventral hernia repair makes up about a third of all hernia surgeries in the United States. However, recurrence rates remain high, between 45% and 73% within 5 years, leading to costly re-operations.

 

SURGEON VARIABILITY

There is no widely adopted method for measuring suture tension in the operating room. This leads to variability across surgeons, techniques, and suture types, impacting patient outcomes.

 

 

Technical Approach/Methodology

The SutureSense Solution

Our Value Proposition: Eliminate the guesswork and reduce the reoperation rate.

The Device: A handheld mechanical device designed to provide real-time tension feedback in the operating room. By providing a visual scale of the forces being applied to the fascial tissue during a procedure, it ensures that each suture is applied within an optimal physiological tension range.

The Interface: The device features a clear, color-coded scale that indicates tension ranges in real-time. This allows surgeons to immediately identify when they are in the optimal zone for fascial closure and avoid pulling too tight, helping to reduce complications and improve healing.

Workflow: SutureSense is designed to be integrated into the standard surgical process. The device serves as an intuitive interface that accommodates the current suture materials, allowing surgeons to maintain their preferred technique while gaining critical data. Without the need for additional power sources or calibrations, it ensures that the addition of this device adds no significant delay in the operating room.

Outcomes

At a Glance

SutureSense will help support consistent suture tension during ventral hernia repair. Its design provides immediate feedback without altering standard surgical workflow.

Clinical Use

SutureSense transforms a subjective surgical step into a standardized, repeatable process, helping to reduce tension variability across hernia repairs.

 

The SutureSense Impact:

 

Improved Precision

Replaces manual "feel" with objective data, ensuring consistent, measurable tensioning during surgery.

Improved Circulation

SutureSense will help protect blood flow to the fascia during surgery and recovery, improving patient outcomes.

Reduced Recurrence

Higher quality primary repairs lead to fewer recurrences and lower long-term healthcare costs.