U.S. Markets for Patient Monitoring Products

The demand for critical care is expected to grow rapidly over the forecast period covered by this report as the average acuity of hospitalized patients rises with the increasing elderly population. According to the American Hospital Association, half of all United States (U.S.) emergency departments (EDs) have either reached their capacity or have exceeded their capacity, with ED visits increasing at a rate of 18% annually. As the U.S. population ages, so will the number of critical care patients. The number of U.S. citizens age 65 and older is growing twice as fast as the general population.

Critical care provides care to patients with life-threatening conditions. The more critically ill the patient, the more likely he or she is to have highly complex and unstable symptoms requiring intensive care. Critical care is administered in many areas of the hospital; however, for the purposes of this report, critical care units refer to burn care units, EDs, intensive care units (ICUs), post-anesthesia care units (PACUs), and areas in which critically ill surgical patients are treated.

The intensity and high acuity of the critical care environment, combined with the shortage of experienced registered nurses, means that noninvasive and minimally invasive patient monitoring products will be in great demand during the forecast period covered by this report, particularly those that provide memory storage, remote access, smart alarms, and other advanced features.