By Joan Trombetti

This article is from in the September 2007 issue of DOTmed Business News. A list of registered users that provide sales & service can be found at the end.

The market for respiratory equipment sales and service - both in hospitals and home healthcare settings - is huge and has been one of the strongest areas for overall growth in healthcare equipment for several years. In fact, a study entitled the "World Market for Respiratory Equipment" released by Kalorama Information in January 2006, says the stage is set for the global market for disposable and reusable respiratory equipment to reach $21 billion by 2010.
The report finds that respiratory disease is among the most common ailments in the world with asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) being the major causes of deaths among children and the elderly. The study found that there are approximately 300 million people who suffer from asthma, with that number expected to rise, and 14.2 million people suffering from COPD. The report analyzed the worldwide market for respiratory disposable and reusable equipment including inhalers, nebulizers, resuscitator masks, ventilators, portable ventilators, respirators, oxygen systems, humidifiers, pulse oximetry sensors and more.

The factors that contribute to this boom in respiratory equipment include an ever-increasing aging population, chronic pulmonary diseases due to pollution, smoking and other causes and the need to replace older equipment. On the flipside, there is the pressure from increasing budget cuts and reimbursement reductions chipping away at respiratory equipment procurement plans - giving hospitals and homecare service providers that buy and use respiratory equipment major headaches.







There is a broad range of respiratory equipment available on the market today used to treat all types of respiratory therapy patients. Spencer Sommers is a respiratory therapist, as well as a biomedical technician. His company, Covalent Technologies in Comstock Park, MI, carries a full range of respiratory equipment including oxygen concentrators, liquid oxygen systems, CPAP, BIPAP and pulse oximeter. The company offers repair maintenance, reconditioning and sales. The most common types of equipment Sommers sells are portable and battery operated oxygen concentrators and laptop sized ventilators. "This is due to a larger number of younger and more mobile chronic respiratory patients, including infants who previously could not be discharged from institutions to home," says Sommers.

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