Portable Minimally Invasive Surgery Simulators Market Size & Share Analysis - Trends, Drivers, Competitive Landscape, and Forecasts (2024 - 2030)

Portable Minimally Invasive Surgery Simulators Market Trends & Growth Drivers

Virtual Training Sessions Are Key Market Trend

• Surgical education has changed significantly over time, with new technologies and assessment methods arising through broad training modalities.
• In case of traditional surgical training, surgeons can only reserve an operating room of the hospital for a limited time and for a limited number of trainees.
• This leads to limited operating-room-based training, which may hinder skill development in students.
• Thus, there has been pressure to develop more-efficient models of surgical training than the traditional apprenticeship design of surgical residency programs.
• Moreover, the increasing emphasis on patient safety has further limited the training experience of novice surgeons in the operating room, thus necessitating the development of training strategies that do not involve actual patients.
• Due to such pressure, there has been an increasing use of simulators in modern surgical training.

Adoption of Simulation-Based Learning Is Bolstering Market Growth

• Simulation-based learning helps turn knowledge into practice, gather measurable data on students and patients, and increase safety for practitioners and patients.
• In this regard, the portable MIS simulator demand has been increasing over the past few years due to the growing incidence of injuries during surgeries.
• More than 300 million major surgeries are performed each year globally, including around 40–50 million in the U.S. and 20 million in Europe.
• As per the WHO, unsafe surgical care procedures cause complications in up to 25% of the patients.
• Almost 7 million surgical patients suffer significant complications annually, 1 million of whom die during or immediately following surgery.
• Therefore, in order to reduce the chances of complications following surgery, the demand for simulation solutions has increased over the past few years, and it is set to grow in the coming years as well.

Technological Advancements in Simulators Propel Market

• The medical field has witnessed various technological advancements, which, in turn, fuels the demand for simulation.
• Several technologically advanced products allow students and practicing doctors/surgeons to acquire or sharpen their skills with the help of AR, robotics, and AI. For instance,
• ImmersiveTouch3, developed by ImmersiveTouch Inc., is a comprehensive surgical training simulator integrated with AR in which the user is placed in an interactive 3D environment, with the use of specialized glasses.
• FlexVR, developed by Surgical Science Sweden AB, is a portable robot-assisted surgical simulator that allows surgeons to improve their robotic surgery skills in a flexible and convenient way, thus further improving patient outcomes and patient safety.

Portable Minimally Invasive Surgery Simulators Market Analysis

Type Analysis

The endoscopic category holds the largest share in the market in 2024, of 55%. It will also be the fastest-growing category, with a CAGR of 14.3%, in the forecast period. The rising incidence of gastrointestinal disorders worldwide is resulting in the growing demand for minimally invasive endoscopic surgeries, because of their minimally invasive nature, lower cost, and faster recovery compared to conventional surgeries. This is also attributed to the rise in the number of endoscopic surgeries in recent years, mainly due to their benefits such as minimally invasive nature, lower cost, and faster recovery time, compared to conventional surgeries. The advantages of endoscopic surgeries have led to their high popularity among patients and healthcare providers, which, in turn, has contributed to the market dominance of this category.

We have studied the following types of portable MIS simulators

• Endoscopic (Largest and Fastest-Growing Category)
  • Flexible
    • Upper gastrointestinal endoscopy simulators
    • Bronchoscopy simulators
    • Colonoscopy simulators
    • Rhinoscopy simulators
  • Rigid
    • Laparoscopy simulators
    • Urology simulators
    • Gynecology simulators
    • Arthroscopy simulators
• Cardiac
• Others

End User Analysis

Medical training centers are projected to advance with the highest CAGR, of 14.7%, during 2024–2030, along with holding the leading market share. This can be attributed to the increasing demand for simulation-based training as a result of the lack of trained professionals. Moreover, the increasing emphasis on patient safety has limited the training experience for novice surgeons in the operating room. Thus, to fulfill the need for proper skill development, medical training centers are rapidly integrating portable MIS simulators into their training regimen.

The report offers insights into the below-mentioned end users:

• Academic Institutes
• Medical Training Centers (Largest and Fastest-Growing Category)
• Hospitals
• Surgical Clinics
• Others

Geographical Analysis

In 2024, the North American portable minimally invasive surgery simulators market holds the largest share, of 45%. This was mainly due to the early adoption of advanced technologies by market players as well as end users here. The increasing number of collaborations between market players and healthcare associations and rising healthcare expenditure are the other major influences driving the market growth.

Moreover, medical training institutions and hospitals are incessantly making efforts to de-risk the impact of training on live patients, standardize their teaching practices, and increase the time available for their trainees to practice various medical procedural skills. According to a study published in the medical journal STATPEARLS, at least 4,000 surgical errors occur each year in the U.S. These medical errors are the third-leading cause of death in the U.S. Due to the rising incidence of medical errors, the demand for simulation products is increasing, as their use in surgical training helps clinicians improve patient safety and health outcomes.

Over the past few years, VR trainers have been introduced for skill development in minimally invasive techniques. The specific hand-eye coordination and psychomotor skills required for MISs can be acquired using VR simulation techniques.

The market is expected to witness the fastest growth in APAC, on account of the increasing medical tourism and surging geriatric population in the region. Additionally, major players, as a part of their business strategy, are investing in the untapped markets of the region, which, in turn, is contributing to the regional market growth.

Moreover, the number of older people in the APAC region is rising at an unprecedented rate. According to the United Nations Population Fund for Asia & the Pacific (UNFPA), by 2050, one in four people in the region will be over 60 years old. The population of older persons (aged over 60) in the region will triple between 2010 and 2050, reaching close to 1.3 billion. In case of open surgeries, an older patient will have a longer recovery time than a younger patient, as well as carrying the possibility of more complications. In addition, elderly surgical subjects require more-intensive support than a younger one from both professional healthcare providers and individuals in their family and social circle. Moreover, older patients are much more likely to require rehabilitation, including physical therapy or even a stay in a rehabilitation facility, than the average surgery patient. They are at higher risk of sleep disturbance due to medications, pain, and a change in environment, which, in turn, can contribute to delirium. Thus, to avoid these risks and complications in the elderly, doctors prefer to operate them minimally invasively, after proper training.

Below is the geographical breakdown of the market:

• North America (Largest Regional Market)
  • U.S. (Larger and Faster-Growing Country Market)
  • Canada
• Europe
  • Germany (Largest Country Market)
  • France
  • U.K. (Fastest-Growing Country Market)
  • Italy
  • Spain
  • Rest of Europe
• Asia-Pacific (APAC) (Fastest-Growing Regional Market)
  • Japan
  • China (Largest and Fastest-Growing Country Market)
  • India
  • Australia
  • South Korea
  • Rest of APAC
• Latin America (LATAM)
  • Brazil (Largest Country Market)
  • Mexico (Fastest-Growing Country Market)
  • Rest of LATAM
• Middle East and Africa (MEA)
  • U.A.E. (Largest Country Market)
  • Saudi Arabia (Fastest-Growing Country Market)
  • South Africa
  • Rest of MEA

Portable Minimally Invasive Surgery Simulators Market Share

The portable minimally invasive surgery market is consolidated it offers high barriers to entry. Being an emerging product, extensive R&D is required to develop and manufacture them. Moreover, there are strict training protocols that these machines must comply with, which limits the scope of progress for local firms. Additionally, the major players in the market are trusted names in the medical equipment field and enjoy strong customer loyalty. They also have long-term partnerships with medical training institutes, ASCs, and hospitals, thus cementing their dominance.

Portable Minimally Invasive Surgery Simulators Market News

• In June 2024, Olympus Corporation established an R&D center in Hyderabad, India, to accelerate innovation in medical technology.
• In June 2024, Inovus Ltd. launched the second generation of its LapAR simulator, which offers improved usability, greater flexibility, and increased complexity, for training across several surgical specialties.
• In May 2024, Surgical Science Sweden AB implemented updated to the MentorLearn cloud version, including a new library view, new design for benchmark indication and report tabs graph, Identity Provider integration, and user and group comparison.
• In Mahy 2024, Mentice AB received a USD 2.26-million order for Mentice VIST G7 simulators from a major MedTech company.