The growing popularity of minimally invasive surgery (MIS) is leading to an increased adoption of endoscopy devices, according to new reports by GBI Research and TechNavio. An increase in MIS is correlated with lower incidences of post-operative complications, minimal scarring and shorter hospital stays, which collectively act to improve surgery experiences both for hospitals and for the patient.
TechNavio’s analysts forecast the market for global laparoscopic devices to grow more than 5 percent a year through 2015, driven by increasing popularity of minimally invasive surgery (MIS). The market researcher says a lack of trained surgeons could pose a challenge to the growth of this market.
Recent retrospective data analysis carried out by Covidien claimed that compared to open surgeries, laparoscopic surgeries were associated with reduced risks of surgical site infection and a reduced need of blood transfusions. On average, an open surgery is $3,556 more expensive per case than a laparoscopic procedure and adds 2.25 days to the patient’s duration of hospitalization.
Olympus Medical categorizes endoscopic devices into two groups: GI devices and laparoscopic devices. GI endoscopy devices are also used to diagnose of gastrointestinal tract (GI) disorders. For GI endoscopy, capsule endoscope systems are now considered superior to conventional diagnostic procedures such as small bowel follow-through (SBFT), computed tomography enterography (CET) and ileoscopy.
According to representatives from Olympus Medical, the increase in laparoscopic colectomy for treatment of colon cancer and diverticulitis, as well as the increased volume of minimally invasive foregut procedures (esophageal and gastric) are responsible for an increase in flexible endoscopic procedures, both diagnostic and therapeutic. Flexible endoscopy used in conjunction with laparoscopy (Intra-Operative Endoscopy or I.O.E.) is becoming the gold standard technique for many digestive tract related surgeries, the company says.
Patients and surgeons continue to demand less invasive surgical technologies, and the most common, least invasive procedures are currently conducted through a flexible endoscope. According to Olympus Medical, thought leaders are exploring the use of endoscopes to conduct procedures with a less invasive approach such as POEM (per oral endoscopic myotomy) in lieu of a Heller myotomy or ESD (endoscopic submucosal dissection) in lieu of a gastrectomy. The company expects the trend of using flexible endoscopes before, during and after a laparoscopic surgical procedure to continue. Some laparoscopic procedures are also moving toward laparo-endoscopic single site (LESS) surgeries, which allow a surgeon to perform a traditional laparoscopic procedure through a single incision in the umbilicus, which can potentially extend the benefits of MIS, the company says.
Nearly 1.5 million MIS procedures are performed in the U.S annually, according to EndoEvolution, a medical device company. With increasing numbers of procedures, as well as advances in technology, GBI predicts that the global endoscopy devices market will reach nearly $6 billion by 2018.
Key vendors dominating this space include Covidien, Ethicon EndoSurgery Inc., Olympus, Stryker and Karl Storz.
