A Simple Invention That Can Save Millions of Lives

Chest traumas are usually caused by accidents or acts of violence, resulting in either blunt injuries or penetrating wounds. According to the World Health Organization, over 4 million cases of chest trauma occur worldwide annually, and it is the leading cause of accidental death. The existing treatment necessitates prompt administration, ideally within an hour of the traumatic event, entails an invasive surgical procedure to drain the fluids in the thoracic cavity. Only highly trained medical practitioners are qualified to perform this procedure and, even then, there is an up to 40% rate of complications.

The revolutionary device developed by Vigor Medical Technologies is on the horizon as a veritable gamechanger: this life-saving procedure will soon be accessible to ambulance medical teams, for the first time in many countries, they will have the capability to administer this crucial treatment to victims of car accidents, stabbings, shootings, and various other emergencies. This advancement holds the promise of significantly improving the chances of survival and positive outcomes for those in critical conditions.

Vigor’s innovative device is simple to insert at the location of the incident or in the ambulance, as well as in hospital settings. Being able to drain the chest cavity within the critical timeframe will avert the collapse of the lungs and heart, thereby saving the victim’s life. Furthermore, Vigor's cutting-edge device significantly reduces the likelihood of complications when compared to the current procedure.

Solving a real problem

Vigor Medical Technologies was founded by three entrepreneurs – investor Dr. John Abeles, CEO Irina Kavounovski, and CTO Igor Waysbeyn, who were determined to find a new way to treat chest traumas that would make it possible to save numerous lives. All three have extensive experience developing medical technologies.

Irina Kavounovski first became aware of this need during the “Knife or Stabbing Intifada” of 2015-16, during which 211 stabbing attacks occurred in Israel, as well as 83 shootings and 42 car-ramming attacks. In too many of these events, the victims died of their wounds because there was no effective way to treat their chest traumas in the field, and by the time they reached a hospital it was too late. At around the same time, Kavounovski’s mother was battling lung cancer and Irina witnessed how complicated and problematic it is to drain fluids from the chest even in a hospital. “I wanted to find a solution that would be helpful in hospitals as well as in the field,” she notes.

After a lengthy research and development process, the start-up created a relatively simple device that requires minimal training and is effective for treating chest trauma injuries quickly and under all conditions. The device can easily be applied to the chest and its hermetic seal mechanism makes it much easier to treat various types of chest wounds. The unique automatic insertion and self-fixation mechanism allows a port to stay in place bypassing the complex time-consuming insertion and intricate suturing of the tube to the chest wall and minimizes the risk of tube dislodgment. Moreover, since the device has an open drainage shaft, catheters can be easily replaced if necessary – another important advantage over the existing procedure. “Within 30 seconds, the device is in place and sealed to the chest wall, creating a channel through which drainage tubes can be easily inserted,” Kavounovski elaborates, adding that Vigor already holds two international patents and is on track to receive two more next year.

The next steps

The company, which consists of an outstanding team of 10, engineers and other experts, was selected to take part in the IN-VENTech startup business program backed by the city of Haifa through the Haifa Economic Corporation.

IN-VENTech’s professional team is assisting the startup with all aspects of business development, marketing, and fundraising. “They provide much-appreciated ongoing support, helping us formulate a strategy and preparing us to approach investors,” says Irina Kavounovski

Vigor is now in the final stages of product development and is preparing to move forward with a business plan whose first phase focuses on the U.S. and European markets. Successful trials have already been performed in preclinical studies and the company plans to conduct clinical trials within the next year. FDA approval is expected within two years.

“Our device has many potential users, including first responders, hospitals and armies,” notes Dr. Avi Hirsch, head of business development. In addition to being user-friendly and easy to adopt, he points out another important advantage: the device will be substantially at lower cost than existing alternatives and, in many cases, will save thousands of dollars on various complications caused by the current solutions in the market.

In 2023, the company received a €2.5M grant from the EIC and will receive an additional €7.2M according to milestones and complementary funding, for the last, the company seeks $1.5-2.0MM in funding.

The combine budget will allow the company to complete the clinical trials and enter the US and EU markets.

For more information about Vigor Medical Technologies, click here or contact: info@vigormt.com

Partnered with Vigor Medical Technologies