Endoscopy is a technique through which an illuminated tubular organ is directly inserted into a human being's body. It gives the medical staff a view of internal parts so as to diagnose or monitor various health issues in the stomach, colon, ears, throat, nose, etc. The most common types of endoscopes are duodenoscopes, colonoscopes, gastrointestinal scopes, which are usually reusable in nature.
There have been various complaints relating to the use and reuse of endoscopes, which leads to infections between patients. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued warning letters to various companies involved in the manufacturing of endoscopes like Fujifilm, Pentax, and Olympus, etc. They have also instructed these companies to conduct post surveillance studies so that the reasons why reprocessed devices are transmitting diseases could be understood in detail.
In order to combat these incidents, new sterilization processes have been implemented: however, they require various types of equipment and chemicals for maintenance, resulting in higher costs and time consumption. Healthcare facilities have been continuously recommended to use disposable endoscopes to reduce patient infection risk, but their use would prove difficult in some markets as they create bio-hazardous medical waste, posing an environmental threat.
Incidents of cross-contamination have emphasized medical devices that are less invasive with electronic components that will withstand sterilization processes. Disposable endoscopes are also being treated as a possible solution.
Reusable endoscopes have a substantial installed base. Due to rising environmental concerns about medical waste, it has been predicted by experts of the Medical Endoscopy Market that its market may increase in double-digit percentile.
Disposable endoscopes integrate components that are reliable as well as inexpensive in their technology, making them affordable for single patient use. Since cross-contamination in today’s world is a significant concern, Global Disposable Endoscopes Market is also expected to have super growth, similar to the Reusable endoscopes market. Key players operating in this market are Boston Scientific, Hill-Rom Holdings, OBP Medical Corporation, Ambu A/S, Storz Imaging, etc.
Market leaders are now looking for suppliers and manufacturers that will be able to help in developing next-generation endoscope technology, which will not only be able to endure the severity of reuse but also enhanced sterilization processes. The future of endoscopy will definitely see various endoscopes products that would either be reusable or disposable while being equipped with the ability to provide safe and sound care, either with enhanced sterilization technique or single patient use.