Article:
The market for multi-parameter patient monitor is witnessing a rapid annual growth of 15-20 per cent. A multi-parameter patient monitor, also called as medical monitor, is a crucial device utilized in critical care units of medical centers. It feelings a patient’s important symptoms, and shows the results, without need of ongoing presence by the healthcare staff. While important symptoms are numerous, the four major ones are standard in most healthcare monitors: temperature evaluation, beat amount (or heart rate), hypertension, and breathing amount. According to worldwide requirements, a fifth important sign of either pain or beat oximetry is now a must in watches. Many functions In the past, medical monitors tended to be highly specialised. One monitor would track a patient’s blood pressure, while another would measure pulse oximetry, and so on. In India, for the last 30 years, ECG was the only parameter available in patient monitor. “Other parameters were continuously added and thus monitors got more accurate with technology,” avers Madhu Nair, Director, Summit Healthcare Pvt Ltd, Mumbai. Summit Healthcare is the distributor of Datascope, US multi-parameter monitors having a worldwide market share of about 10-12 per cent. Besides being affordable, the new monitors are lighter, have better battery backups and are more accurate. There has been an increase in the parameters like depth of anesthesia, invasive blood pressure, spirometer, and cardiac output. The benefits of providing vital signs monitoring at the point of care are extensive. New monitors have more accurate oxygen saturation in low perfusion and motion artifacts conditions. They are equipped with better ECG filtering and accurate non-invasive arterial blood pressure (NIBP). Integrating parameters of all patient monitors enables monitoring on a single display which speeds up the decision-making process of the clinician. It also leads to better workflow of the nursing staff. “Now, monitors have clearer display, which can be seen from a distance of 10-12 feet. Earlier, the readings on the ECG machine were not visible beyond one foot,” says the industry expert. A modern day patient monitor system can continuously monitor the vital signs of the patient like: Functioning of the heart (ECG/heart rate). Pulse oximetry: Peripheral circulation and arterial blood oxygenation (SPO2). Non-invasive arterial blood pressure. Skin and cavity temperature. Breathing by impedance (breathing rate/ respirogramm). Strength of myocardial hypoxia (ischemia), (st-segment analysis). Capnography/breathing (breathing rate, capnogramm, CO2, FiCO2). Market scene After multi-parameter monitors were made available at an affordable cost, the market for them has grown tremendously. Although the advent of multi-parameter monitors has made life easier for medical professionals, and the demand for them is at an all time high, single parameter monitors still hold their share in the market. In the urban markets, customers still choose a cheaper solution in patient monitoring with limited functionality.