HANDHELD IMAGING DEVICES MARKET ANALYSIS

Miniature version of huge diagnostic imaging machines are available in the market, which are used for diagnosing patients. Such handheld or pocket sized machines offer advantages over conventional testing methods by making results available in short span of time. Therefore, with the help of handheld devices, it is possible for the doctors and caregivers to provide immediate diagnosis and effective treatment to the patients.  Handheld imaging devices cater to various applications such as wound healing, venipuncture etc.

• Micro C LLC, offers Micro C, a hand-held x-ray and digital imaging device. It is mostly used for the surgical treatment of distal extremities. The device converts radiations into dynamic fluoroscopic images of the human skeleton. The benefits offered by Micro C LLC device over conventional X-ray machine such as device is sterilizable and emits less radiation that leads to less radiation exposure to patients and surgical staff.
• Acuson Freestyle is an ultrasound system offered by Siemens, which is equipped with wireless transducer. It is beneficial for anesthesiology, cardiology, musculoskeletal systems and other clinical applications. It is equipped with pixelformer image processing architecture for high resolution and high quality images of the area of interest, and Needle V for improving needle injections and punctures by enhancing procedural clarity.  

Other key manufacturers operating in the handheld imaging devices market include General Electric Company, Smith & Nephew, Healcerion, Inc., Siemens, and Koninklijke Philips N.V. and others.

Global Handheld Imaging Devices Market Drivers

Moreover, new products with improved technology providing ease, convenience, and better patient outcomes are expected to propel global handheld imaging devices market growth. For instance, Kent Imaging Inc., launched a multispectral imaging device, Snapshot NIR, in 2017, which has application in tissue oxygenation imaging. It captures the extent of oxygenated blood available in tissue. This helps in improved decision making before, during, and after a wound care or surgical care.

Moreover, in 2017, Orca Medical (Healcerion) introduced a mobile ultrasound system, SONON 300C, which is of the size of the transducer and is compatible with iOS and Android technology. The weight of the ultrasound system is around 13 ounces (360 grams) equipped with an inbuilt lithium-ion battery, which can be recharged, and can connect to Wi-Fi, 3G, and LTE networks, in order to send Dicom compliant still images and videos to other mobile devices or to different hospitals or clinics. Sonon 300C is useful for visualization of body parts such as tendons, muscle, joints, blood vessels, internal organs such as abdomen and bladder. The ultrasound also features color Doppler functionality for the diagnostic procedure in obstetrics and gynecology.

Handheld devices have advantages over conventional imaging devices such as they provide efficient, effective, and improved quality of care when used properly. It also helps to reduce emergency room overcrowding as the diagnosis speeds up. Hand held devices are also portable and transportable. These factors are expected to drive the global handheld imaging devices market over the forecast period.

Global Handheld Imaging Devices Market Restraints

Handheld imaging devices are not foolproof as they may differ in some areas with the centralized laboratory tests. Moreover, diagnosis with hand held imaging devices requires less time and may affect the specificity or sensitivity of the results while centralized laboratory test are very sensitive. Another major challenge of using hand held imaging devices is storage of data. According to National Center for Biotechnology Information, (NCBI), 2019, hand-held imaging devices were found to be less useful when diagnosing vascularity (in case of oncology), ectopic pregnancies, and handling obese patients. The above factors are expected to restrain the global handheld imaging devices market over the forecast period.

Global Handheld Imaging Devices Market Regional Analysis

North America is expected to hold dominant position in the global handheld imaging devices market over the forecast period, owing to increase U.S. Food and Drug Administration (U.S FDA) approvals and introduction of new products in the market. For instance, Smith & Nephew, Inc. received the U.S FDA approval for i: X handheld fluorescence imaging device for detection of bacteria and wound management, in December 2019. The Moleculight i: X increases the chances of clinicians and doctors for identifying any bacterial infection if the bacterial count is over than 10⁴ CFU/g (colony forming unit per gram) and accordingly effective treatment can be provided to the patients.

Moreover, Butterfly Network Inc., launched world’s first ultrasound-on-a-chip based imaging system, Butterfly iQ, in 2017, which is compatible with iPhone. It is used for the diagnosis of 13 clinical applications as it is made by combining 10 thousand sensors, which is an advantage over conventional ultrasound device used for diagnosis.

Koninklijke Philips N.V. offers Lumify, a portable ultrasound transducer connects to the Lumify app in the Android devices using USB connection. Lumify app offers clinicians or patients an advantage to examine body organs such as gall bladder, abdomen, and lungs. The device also has functionality for ob-gyn, vascular, superficial, musculoskeletal, and soft tissue.

Moreover, rising number of child births every year is one of the major factors driving demand for ultrasound devices, as the development of child in the womb is usually monitored with the help of ultrasound imaging. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 2019, the total number of births in the U.S. accounted for 3,791,712 in 2019. The birth rate in the U.S. was 11.6 births per 1,000 population and thus, obstetrics and gynecology contributes significant share in the global ultrasound devices market. Handheld imaging devices offers easy and comfortable means of diagnosis of fetus health in case of pregnancies. These above factors are expected to boost growth of the global handheld imaging devices market over the forecast period.

Global Handheld Imaging Devices Market Key Players

Some of the key players operating in the global handheld imaging devices market include General Electric Company, Smith & Nephew, Inc., Healcerion, Inc., Micro C, LLC, Hunan Ramzed Medical Imaging Technology Co., Ltd., Siemens, Koninklijke Philips N.V., Butterfly Network, Inc., BLZ Technology Inc., and Kent Imaging INC.

Market Taxonomy

By Product Type

• With Transducer
• Without Transducer
• Accessories

By Compatibility with Operating System

• Android
• iOS

By End User

• Hospitals
• Diagnostic Centers
• Point of Care

By Regions

• North America
• Latin America
• Europe
• Asia Pacific
• Middle East
• Africa