One in
every 100 children born each year in Argentina has a congenital heart defect, a
heart condition present at birth. According to data from Argentina’s Ministry
of Health, nearly half of these babies require surgery within their first year
of life and two-thirds will need treatment and can be cured.
Tomás
Armendariz (Argentina, 28 years old), founder of AVaTAR MedTech, has developed
a pediatric-focused surgical method that reconstructs a patient’s heart valve
using their own tissue—creating a completely functional new valve with an
oversized design that adapts to the child’s natural growth.
This
solution addresses the specific risks of this type of surgery. “In adults,
a diseased valve can be replaced with a mechanical or biological prosthetic.
However, in children, the situation is far more serious. The lack of suitable
prosthetic valves for pediatric patients means that any implanted valve will
soon become too small as the child grows,” the entrepreneur explains.
Armendariz’s
method adapts to the child's development, reducing the need for future valve
replacement surgeries.
“This
visionary approach is designed to accommodate the natural growth of pediatric
patients, ensuring the valve remains functional for a longer period and
reducing the need for multiple invasive surgeries as the child grows,” adds
Armendariz, who holds a degree in Public Accounting and Valuation from the
National University of Cuyo (Argentina).
Though his
academic background is far from medicine, Armendariz decided to partner with
Dr. Ignacio Lugones to tackle a problem the physician was facing firsthand. “AVaTAR
MedTech was born from witnessing Ignacio’s deep anguish when he couldn’t
operate on a patient who died while waiting to reach adult size in order to
receive a suitable valve. His drive to innovate and find a solution for future
patients, motivated by compassion for these children and empathy for their
families, deeply moved me and led me to join him in the search for a solution
for pediatric patients,” he recalls.
After
conducting in vitro and in vivo trials in collaboration with Aarhus University
in Denmark, and proving the reconstructed valves could function both at rest
and under physical exertion, the surgical technique was first applied in human
patients in 2018. As of 2024, 17 pediatric patients have been successfully
operated on using AVaTAR’s procedure. “Our
solution significantly reduces the time the heart must be stopped during valve
replacement (aortic clamping), lowering it to just 25% of the time typically
required,” notes the founder.
Looking
ahead, Armendariz envisions, “the future
of AVaTAR MedTech as the standard of care for pediatric semilunar valve
reconstruction, a global leader in pediatric cardiovascular solutions, and a
recommended option for adult patients with aortic or pulmonary valve
conditions.”
“We’re
focused on continued innovation, refining our devices based on surgeon feedback,
building a robust business, regulatory, reimbursement, and IP strategy, and
relying on our team’s capabilities to develop a portfolio of medical devices
that represent a paradigm shift in pediatric cardiovascular surgery,” he adds.
Armendariz
is a health mentor at SingularityU Chapter and has been a speaker at
entrepreneurship events in Argentina, such as Experiencia Endeavor Cuyo and
Bootcamp Trama ITBA. He has experience in business consulting and is also one
of MIT Technology Review in Spanish 35 Innovators Under 35.
