Critical Care Monitoring Market Driven by Minimally Invasive Technologies

The medical community is looking for cost-effective critical care monitors and equipment that are patient-friendly and safe. These are the latest findings of Frost & Sullivan (Mountain View, CA, USA), an international market research firm.

While hospitals across Europe are well equipped with critical care monitors, the growing elderly population along with increasing occurrences of fatal diseases is expected to bolster further demand for critical care solutions that are primarily noninvasive or minimally invasive. The study also found that there is a rising demand for advanced equipment versions that can be easily integrated with the existing equipment in the intensive care unit (ICU). As a result, the multiparameter monitors segment is growing steadily and remains an important feature for product selection.

Currently, the biggest market in the critical care monitors market is Germany, followed by France and the United Kingdom. However, the global economic crisis has limited hospitals budgets, which has in turn slowed down the purchase process for equipment that is not urgently needed by the hospital. This has also contributed to decrease the demand for newly launched, technically advanced and costly products. Opportunities exist, however, for niche manufacturers offering continuous monitoring devices for blood pressure, glucose monitoring, intracranial pressure, and more, which could be integrated with already existing multi-parameter monitors or serve as standalone entities.

Offering advanced versions of critical care solutions as a package may also help manufacturers increase their profit margins while meeting end user requirements. Robust, easy-to-use and efficient monitoring devices that offer wireless connectivity and integration as data transfer, analysis, collection and storage will all see faster uptake.

“To decrease the cost incurred on the patient, hospitals are shifting their preference toward sub-acute care,” said Frost & Sullivan Senior Research Analyst Akanksha Joshi. “To counter the challenge of lesser purchasing power, vendors must place emphasis on offering reasonably priced innovative technologies.”

According to the report, manufacturers also need to focus on the development of minimally invasive and noninvasive technologies for monitoring in critical care environments, since many end users remain apprehensive of new technologies due to concerns regarding the safety and accuracy of these devices. As such, healthcare authorities will be looking for consent for new methods from the scientific community to provide a clinical benchmark.

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