U.S. surgeons will implant 26,500 cardiac defibrillators in 1995-up from 20,400 this year-to treat patients with dangerously rapid heartbeats.
The growing acceptance of this technology and improvements in it will boost the U.S. market for implantable defibrillators and lead systems to $530 million in 1995 from $410 million this year, according to a recent report from Furman Selz, a New York-based investment firm.
One force behind the growth is advances in lead systems, which connect defibrillators to the heart. Cardiologists are excited about transvenous leads, a new technology that is run into the heart through a vein under the collarbone, instead of requiring it be attached during open-chest surgery, said ECRI, a Plymouth Meeting, Pa.-based technology assessment firm. The less-invasive surgery reportedly reduces hospital stays to seven days from the 10 days typically required for open-chest surgery.
