October 4, 2013 — Purchasing activity for cardiac catheterization labs in the United States appears to be growing as more healthcare facilities look to replace aging equipment, according to a new report by IMV Medical Information Division. The census-based report finds that both patient volume and installed base are rising as the market recovers from a recent slowdown.
According to the report, patient volume has increased at a rate of 0.5 percent per year, and the number of identified fixed cath lab systems has increased at an average annual growth rate of 3.3 percent, from 4,225 units as of IMV’s 2008 census to 4,980 units in 2012. Going forward, an estimated 44 percent of surveyed cath lab sites are considering the purchase of cath lab units over the next three years to replace units or add rooms. This is likely due to several factors, including:
· An installed base of older units. The average replacement cycle is 11.1 years for sites that are planning to replace their units, which is up from 10 years in 2008. While cath lab facilities are holding on to their units longer, the peak years of cath lab installations occurred about a decade ago, so sites are replacing a larger number of aging units.
· Continued innovation and interest in using the cath lab rooms for minimally invasive procedures, including noncardiac procedures such as carotid, iliac, femoral, runoff, renal and extremity studies. Since 2000, the proportion of cath lab rooms being used for noncardiac cases has increased from 47 percent to 67 percent of rooms. In addition to diagnostic cardiologists and interventional radiologists, cardiothoracic surgeons and endovascular/vascular surgeons are performing procedures in cath lab settings.
· More than one-third of purchase plans are for adding fixed C-arms for use with cardiac and noncardiac procedures. In addition to adding units to the traditional cath lab or cardiology suites, at least 7 percent of sites are planning to locate their additional units in surgery/operating room (OR) departments.
An estimated 3.82 million patient cases were performed at 2,100 cardiac cath lab sites in 2012, including both cardiac and noncardiac patient cases. During the past decade, the total volume of patient cases peaked in 2006 at 4.21 million and declined to a low of 3.75 million in 2008. Since 2009, total patient volume has been relatively stable, increasing at an average annual growth rate of 0.5 percent.
“This slowdown in patient cases handled by cath labs is due to the convergence of several factors,” observed Lorna Young, senior director, Market Research at IMV. “With the advent of CT coronary angiography procedures (CTA), the volume of diagnostic cath procedures appears to have declined. In addition, the increased use of preauthorization policies by third party insurers may be at play.”
For more information: www.imvinfo.com
December 20, 2023 
