So what were the key findings?

Cardiac output monitoring is one of the fastest growing trends.?Use of?less invasive, ultrasound based methods is being driven forward by evidence of better patient outcomes and?reduced infection risk. Further development should focus on delivering more?accurate?and?truly non-invasive(non-doppler) devices.?Device usability should also be improved to encourage further take-up among current non/occasional users.

Use of?ultrasound?for?nerve localisation in?regional anaesthesiais also a strong trend. In peripheral nerve block, usage is frequently linked to greater accuracy and efficacy. However, risk of nerve damage due to intraneural injection is still a concern. Development is required to provide?modern, user-friendly, high resolution ultrasound devices and?high visibility needles.

Airway technologies, particularly?videolaryngoscopy, also emerged as a key focus Anaesthetists are extremely keen to reduce failed intubations and are seeing more cases with?difficult airways. Existing videolaryngoscopes are not always deemed sufficiently?robust, and in some cases?access is poor.

A further significant trend is for improved?depth of anaesthesia monitoring. Anaesthetists want to avoid the opposing risks of patient awareness vs. giving high doses. There is clear demand for devices which are?less prone to interference and highly accurate in ?real-time?, with?less delay in recognising shifts.

A general trend towards?non-invasive monitoring was observed, this being highly desirable as?risk of infection is reduced, while?patient comfort is perceived to increase. However, non-invasive methods are still seen as less reliable,?less accurate and?less responsive to sudden shifts. A key frustration with current devices is the?high number of artefacts/ false positives.

Lastly, results suggest the greatest demand for wireless devices is in?Sp02 monitoring, followed by?ECG?and?NIBP. Primary drivers of this demand include the desire to?simplify patient transfers, and to?decrease clutter around the patients bedside.

Article written by George Ashford – CEO.