Japan Cardiac Surgery Instruments Market Trends

Growth Drivers

• Prevalence of cardiovascular disease and aging population: The increasing number of the aged population in Japan, which stands at 28.6% of the population, creates a need for cardiac surgeries. With cardiovascular diseases on the rise among the geriatric population, hospitals, and cardiac centers are spending heavily on advanced surgical tools to enhance the care of patients. This growing demand is driving innovation in minimally invasive procedures, allowing for faster recovery times and reduced post-operative complications in elderly patients.
• New developments in cardiac surgery: Ongoing developments in minimally invasive and robotic-assisted cardiac surgery techniques fuel the demand for new surgical tools. In May 2024, Terumo Corporation shared new updates about the ongoing projects of robotic cardiac surgery systems and how they improve accuracy and minimize the time required for the patient to recover. These innovations depict the current trends of enhanced surgical instruments required in intricate and sensitive operations.
• Measures and undertakings by the government: The government of Japan has backed the modernization of the healthcare sector through financial aid and certification of new medical devices. In January 2022, MicroPort CRM received the CE marking for the Alizea pacemakers, which are Bluetooth-enabled pacemakers for remote monitoring. This is in line with Japan objective of improving telehealth and post-operative care to create a conducive atmosphere for the development of cardiac surgery instruments.

Challenges

• Shortage of skilled cardiac surgeons: One of the main problems of the japan cardiac surgery instruments market is the scarcity of highly qualified and experienced cardiac surgeons. Consequently, as the population of patients with cardiovascular diseases grows and the average age of the population rises, the need for more complex interventions will remain high, and the workforce will remain limited. This shortage not only increases the surgery waiting list but also impacts the patient’s results and the efficiency of the hospital. Thus, there are no sufficient training programs and motivations to attract new talent, and the gap between the required and actual expertise is likely to grow. 
• Regulatory barriers and approval delays: Strict legal requirements in Japan affect the possibilities for the quick development of new cardiac surgery instruments and technologies. However, the process is not as fast as one would expect due to the fact that the approval process takes time and may include clinical trials and numerous documents. This can inhibit the use of the most sophisticated devices, which can have an impact on the performance of healthcare organizations in Japan as against their peers around the world. Delayed approvals also keep foreign medical device companies from coming into the japan cardiac surgery instruments market, which hampers competition and development.