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SUMMARY FIGURETRENDS IN GLOBAL SALES OF MRCAS EQUIPMENT, 2010-2016($ MILLIONS)
Source: BCC Research
INTRODUCTION
STUDY BACKGROUND
Information technology plays a key role in an ever-widening range of human activities, including surgery. Computers, working in tandem with a variety of microprocessor-enabled equipment and instruments, support and facilitate the work of the surgeon and have brought a level of safety and precision to surgery that would have been inconceivable just a few years ago.
These computers, electronic equipment, and instruments are referred to collectively as medical robotics and computer-assisted surgery (MRCAS) or, more dramatically, “the operating room of the future.” MRCAS is used in a growing number of operating rooms around the world, largely as a result of the growing popularity of minimally invasive surgical (MIS) techniques. Minimally invasive, or “keyhole” surgery is an alternative to traditional open-incision surgery in a growing number of procedures. MIS utilizes special instruments that can be inserted and manipulated through small incisions (sometimes no more than a few millimeters long) under remote optical or video guidance, greatly reducing patient trauma and recovery times.
The need to perform delicate surgical procedures safely in tight spaces where the surgeon cannot see directly has created a growing market for devices that act as extensions of the surgeon’s eyes and hands: remote imaging, data processing and feedback, and robotics. Meanwhile, MRCAS technology has been evolving, as have the medical and economic environments in which it is used. Populations are aging, increasing demand for a wide range of age-related surgical procedures such as heart and orthopedic surgery. Technological advances have expanded the range of surgical procedures that can be performed using minimally invasive techniques, making them accessible to even more people.
The structure of the hospital industry, the main user of MRCAS, is also changing as hospitals consolidate and other health care options such as walk-in surgical clinics become available to consumers. Private and government health insurers around the world are becoming more cost-conscious, forcing hospitals to re-evaluate their capital spending plans but strengthening the case for technologies that can reduce the cost of surgical procedures. Medical malpractice suits continue to be common in markets like the United States, so technologies that increase the precision and accuracy of surgery have obvious appeal.
In such a fast-moving field, there is a pressing need to develop and maintain an up-to-date base of market information in order to better understand the dynamics of the market for MRCAS devices and equipment.
GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
This report is an updated and expanded version of an earlier (2009) BCC Research analysis of U.S. and global markets for MRCAS equipment. The updated report is based on the most recent market information available, and analyzes technological, economic, and regulatory developments that may have a long-term impact on the size and structure of the MRCAS market. The new report also contains a more in-depth and detailed analysis of selected foreign markets than its predecessor.
More specific objectives of this report are to:
INTENDED AUDIENCE
This report has been written for the entire MRCAS interest community, especially those in:
Although the report is structured around specific technologies, it is largely non-technical in nature. That is, it is concerned less with theory and jargon than with what works, how much of the latter the market is likely to purchase, and at what price.
As such, the report’s main audience is executive management and marketing and financial analysts. It is not written specifically for scientists and technologists, (although findings which concern the markets for their work, including the availability of government and corporate research funding for different technologies and applications) should interest them as well.
SCOPE AND FORMAT
This report is an analytical business tool with the primary purpose of describing the MRCAS equipment industry and the global market for these devices. MRCAS equipment is defined as computer- or microprocessor-enabled devices and accessories that are physically situated in the operating room and directly assist the surgeon in planning and carrying out surgical procedures. Thus, the scope of the study does not include:
The format of the study is organized around the following topics:
METHODOLOGY AND INFORMATION SOURCES
Both primary and secondary research methodologies were used in preparing this report. The findings and conclusions of this report are based on information gathered from manufacturers and users of MRCAS and other informed sources. Interview data was combined with information gathered through an extensive review of secondary sources such as trade publications, trade associations, company literature, and online databases to produce the baseline market estimates contained in this report.
The base year for analysis and projection is 2010. With 2010 as a baseline, market projections were developed for 2011 to 2016. The market projections are “consensus” projections, obtained by averaging market scenarios obtained from industry and other sources or developed independently by BCC. The analytical methodologies BCC used to generate the market estimates are described in detail in the section on detailed market projections.
All dollar projections presented in this report are in 2010 constant dollars.
ANALYST CREDENTIALS
The author of this report is Andrew McWilliams. Mr. McWilliams, a partner in the Boston-based international technology and marketing consulting firm of 43rd Parallel, LLC, is the author of several other BCC Research studies of the surgical and related medical devices markets, including the previous edition of this report; HLC051F − The Market for Minimally Invasive Medical Devices; HLC066B − Medical Automation Technologies, Products, and Markets; HLC038C − Patient Monitoring; HLC016D − Microelectronic Medical Implants: Products, Technologies, and Opportunities; HLC072A − Medical Lasers: Technologies and Global Markets; and HLC082A − Emerging Markets for Advanced Medical Technologies.
BCC ONLINE SERVICES
BCC offers an online information retrieval service. BCC’s home page, located at www.bccresearch.com, enables readers to:
DISCLAIMER
The information developed in this report is intended to be as reliable as possible at the time of publication and of a professional nature. This information does not constitute managerial, legal, or accounting advice; nor should it serve as a corporate policy guide, laboratory manual, or an endorsement of any product, as much of the information is speculative in nature. The author assumes no responsibility for any loss or damage that might result from reliance on the reported information or its use.
BCC has been a leader in market research and consulting to the biotechnology and life sciences industries since 1991. Over the last several years, BCC has produced in-depth analyses of breakthroughs and advances in these industries, including the following:
