The Gripping Strength of a Python’s Teeth Could Help It Heal. The device attaches to the shoulder bone and the tendon like the snake grabs its prey. A Burmese python Hillary Kladke/Getty Images.

A new, python-inspired device might close that gap. Rotator cuff surgeries have failure rates between 20 and 94 percent. With the likelihood of retearing, doctors sometimes decide not to operate.