Radiolucent Wrist Fixator Market

Market Outlook

External fixation devices have been used since a long time. However, these external fixation devices have a number of drawbacks such as risk of infection, stiffness of the joint, discomfort due to weight and hindrance in X-Ray for monitoring the heeling progress. The radiolucent wrist fixators help in reducing the bulk as they are lighter making them a convenient option for patients. External fixation devices can be used for the fixation of any polytrauma joint. Wrist fixation devices are used to fix polytrauma in the wrist.

Radiolucent material is a material almost transparent to an X-Ray. With the rising need for wrist fixators that is lightweight and one that does not hinder the visibility in follow-up X-Ray scans. Radiolucent wrist fixators are made of radiolucent material such as the polycarbonate and polyethylene to overcome the drawbacks of the regular metallic external wrist fixator. A number of large and small companies have been investing in the area. Furthermore, the advantages of these devices is helping it gain popularity across the globe.

Radiolucent wrist fixators are used for many indications that include fracture of the distal radius, fractures with open or closed soft tissue damage, polytrauma, fractures and dislocation in combination, loss of reduction after initial treatment and infections. Some of the companies that offer the radiolucent wrist fixator devices include Orthofix

Factors Driving and Hindering the Radiolucent Wrist Fixator Market

Growing incidence of fracture and the need for lightweight external fixation devices are driving the growth of the radiolucent wrist fixator market. Although these devices overcome some of the drawback of the traditional fixation devices, an important problem is still not addressed well enough, i.e., pin site infection. Since the radiolucent wrist fixator device structurally resembles the traditional device, it needs to be inserted into the bone and the remaining half is left outside, this if not taken care may lead to an infection. Though the materials used are biocompatible, may lead to adverse reactions.

Polycarbonate as an Increasingly Used Material for Radiolucent Wrist Fixators

Although some of the leading players use polyether ether ketone or polyethylene material, carbon fibres is a new material explored for the use in radiolucent wrist fixator devices. Carbon fibre is the new star in many industries mostly due to its features such as lightweight and strength. Compressed carbon fibre in the form of polycarbonate is a popular material used since the material is not only radiolucent but also is lightweight in nature. These characteristics prove to be promising for the growth of the radiolucent wrist fixator market. Some of the devices that use polycarbon, include Clearview Wrist Fixator and FIXUS 33.

Radiolucent Wrist Fixator in Hospitals

Orthopaedic division of hospitals is the largest consumer of the radiolucent wrist fixators. Hand fractures comprise nearly quarter of all the fractures. There are also reasonable reimbursement policies for the procedures involving the use of the radiolucent wrist fixator device. These factors combine together to make the use of radiolucent wrist fixators a potential choice in fixation of the wrist in most hospitals in particular.
Radiolucent Wrist Fixator Market Assessment by Material

Regional Market Outlook

Most of the technical developments and advancements with respect to the radiolucent wrist fixator market is in the North American region. The region is known for strong regulations and government initiatives for the growth of the market. Furthermore, a fair amount of reimbursement is also available for the surgery favouring the radiolucent wrist fixator market in the region. A number of top companies for an instance Orthofix are located in North America strengthening the hold of the market. However, the Asia Pacific market is also expected to have a lucrative growth due to growing aging population.

Competition Outlook

Small-Scale Manufacturers/Providers

• Umbra Applied Technologies
• Fixus
• Swemac

Medium-Scale Manufacturers/Providers

• Zimmer Biomet
• Medartis

Large-Scale Manufacturers/Providers

• Orthofix
• Stryker
• Smith & Nephew

Key Data Points Covered in Report

The report covers exhaustive analysis on:

• Radiolucent Wrist Fixator Market by method type, end user and region
• Regional level market analysis of North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa by method type, end use segments and country
• Radiolucent Wrist Fixator Market Dynamics & Opportunity Assessment
• Historical Actual Market Size, 2013 - 2017
• Radiolucent Wrist Fixator Market Size & Forecast 2018 - 2028
• Radiolucent Wrist Fixator Current Trends/Issues/Challenges
• Competition & Companies involved

Research Methodology

FMI utilizes a triangulation methodology that is primarily based on experimental techniques such as patient-level data, number of procedures and capital equipment install base to obtain precise market estimations and insights on various medical devices and medical technology. Bottom-up approach is always used to obtain insightful data for the specific country/regions. The country-specific data is again analyzed to derive data at a global level. This methodology ensures high quality and accuracy of information.

Secondary research is used at the initial phase to identify the feasibility of the target products/technology categories and its respective segments, product offerings, usage pattern as per disease indications, product installed base in target healthcare facilities, life span of a device, reimbursement scenario, adoption rate and future impact of new technologies.

Each piece of information is eventually analyzed during the entire research project, which builds a strong base for the primary research information.

Primary research participants include demand-side users such as key opinion leaders, physicians, surgeons, and supply-side providers of medical devices who provide valuable insights on trends, key treatment patterns, adoption rate, and purchasing pattern, technological development of medical devices, patient education, effectiveness of manufacturers and important strategies, pricing and competitive dynamics.

Quantitative and qualitative assessment of basic factors driving demand, economic factors/cycles and growth rates and strategies utilized by key players in the market are analyzed in detail while forecasting, in order to project Year-on-Year growth rates. These Y-o-Y growth projections are checked and aligned as per industry/product lifecycle and further utilized to develop market numbers at a holistic level.

On the other hand, we also analyze various annual reports, investor presentations, SEC filings, 10k reports and press release operating in this market segment to fetch substantial information about the market size, trends, opportunity, drivers, and restraints to analyze key players and their market shares. Key companies are segmented at Tier level based on their revenues, product portfolio and presence.

Please note that these are the partial steps that are being followed while developing the market size. Besides this, forecasting will be done based on our internal proprietary model which also uses different macro-economic factors such as per capita healthcare expenditure, disposable income, industry based demand driving factors impacting the market and its forecast trends apart from disease related factors.

Market Segmentation

By Material

• PEEK and Polyethylene
• polycarbonate

By End user

• Hospitals & Clinics
• Ambulatory Centers

By Region

• North America
• Western Europe
• Eastern Europe
• Latin America
• Asia Pacific
• Japan
• Middle East & Africa