Minimally Invasive Surgery Boosting Outpatient Procedures

A global increase in surgical procedures is a result of improved healthcare infrastructure in emerging countries, increasing cases of lifestyle diseases, and technological innovations that are boosting the workload of surgeons. These are the latest findings of GBI Research (London, United Kingdom), a market-leading provider of business intelligence reports.

According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC; Atlanta, GA, USA), approximately 48 million surgical procedures are performed in the United States each year, while emerging countries such as India and China hold huge future potential for surgery due to increased healthcare expenditure and huge patient populations. At the same time, accessibility, affordability, and patient comfort are driving up demand for outpatient procedures, which is more cost-effective than inpatient surgeries since they eliminate hospitalization costs, minimize the time spent in the operating theatre, and cut costs for staffing and travel.

Concomitantly, advances in anesthesia, surgical techniques, and devices have changed the way surgery is performed. Minimally invasive surgeries (MIS) can be applied to most surgical specialties, such as neurology, cosmetic, cardiothoracic, ophthalmology, orthopedic, urology, vascular, and dentistry. MIS offer several benefits such as reduced postoperative pain, less visible scarring, faster recovery, reduced risk of infection, reduced bleeding, and improved accuracy. The use of laparoscopes means that surgeries such as hernia repairs and gallbladder and appendix removals can be carried out in outpatient settings, while laser vision correction is a popular outpatient procedure that also relies on new technology.

In the US, the growth in the number of Medicare-certified Ambulatory Surgical Centers (ASCs) is also driving the demand for surgical equipment. As a result of the increasing volume of surgical procedures being carried out, a growing demand for surgical equipment such as surgical sutures, electrosurgical devices, and hand instruments has emerged. GBI predict therefore that the global market for surgical equipment will exceed USD 7 billion by 2018, following growth at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 4.2% predicted until 2018.

The spread of westernized living standards has also led to a worldwide increase in diseases such as obesity, lung cancer, cardiovascular diseases and kidney disorders, expanding the patient population eligible for surgery.

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