In this episode of The State of MedTech, host Omar M. Khateeb sits down with Dr. Oke Anakwenze, Orthopedic Surgeon at Duke University and Founder of SutureTech, to explore a breakthrough that’s turning tendon repair on its head.

Dr. Anakwenze reveals the revolutionary design behind the Rapid-Fix, an all-suture staple that could make complex, time-consuming repairs a thing of the past. 

From confronting a 30% failure rate in rotator cuff surgeries to pioneering a device that slashes procedure time by 70%, this conversation dives into the mindset of a surgeon-innovator.

You’ll learn how SutureTech’s technology creates a biomechanically superior healing environment, 

Why moving away from metal anchors is the future of soft tissue repair, and how this platform could unlock the next wave of biologics and grafts in orthopedics.

Episode Breakdown

0:00 – Why the best medtech ideas come from real clinical pain points  

0:50 – Welcome back to the MedTech Podcast with Omar Khateeb  

1:10 – Meet Dr. Oke Anakwenze orthopedic surgeon and SutureTech founder  

2:00 – From Nigeria to Duke: a surgeon’s global journey  

3:40 – Choosing the shoulder: the body’s most complex joint  

5:00 – What inspired Dr. Oke Anakwenze to become a medtech entrepreneur  

7:00 – The inefficiencies in tendon and ligament repair surgery  

9:00 – Good ideas vs. valuable ideas: advice for physician innovators  

12:00 – Why patents aren’t the first step in medtech innovation  

14:00 – From surgical pain points to startup creation  

16:00 – How SutureTech was born to fix “suture madness”  

17:30 – Introducing RapidFix: the all-suture tendon repair staple  

19:00 – How it works: faster, simpler, and biologically better repairs  

22:00 – Moving beyond metal: MRI-safe and all-suture innovation  

24:00 – Expanding indications beyond shoulder repair  

25:30 – The future of biologics and regenerative augmentation  

28:00 – Predictive medicine: preventing injury before it happens  

30:00 – AI, data, and the new frontier of orthopedic care  

31:40 – FDA submission, seed round, and launch roadmap  

33:00 – Where to meet SutureTech: Carolina Shoulder & Elbow Society and Shoulder360  

33:50 – Final thoughts: simplicity, innovation, and surgeon impact  

34:30 – Outro: follow, review, and subscribe to the MedTech Podcast

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#MedTech #Orthopedics #SutureTech #ShoulderSurgery #MedicalInnovation