Use of general anaesthesia drugs has rapidly increased, owing to a large number of people undergoing surgeries in the world.
Moreover, an increase in the geriatric population around the world is fuelling the growth of general anaesthesia drugs. World Health Organization states that by 2030 1 in 6 people will be 60 years or above. As the immune system of the elderly weakens with growing age, the pain of undergoing a surgery can become unbearable. Therefore, to combat the same, general drug anaesthesia is used to numb the feeling of sensation for a certain period of time.
The use of general anaesthesia drugs is not only limited to complicated surgeries, such as cardiovascular surgeries or spinal cord surgeries, but also extended to dental treatments, skin surgeries and gender affirmation surgeries. Future Market Insights states the global sales of the general anaesthesia drugs market are expected to register a CAGR of 3% by the end of 2029. Moreover, surgeons are using general drug anaesthesia to reduce the sensation of the patient’s body that help them to tolerate pain.
General anaesthesia helps in numbing the whole body. This, in turn, does not allow the patient to move and makes them unconscious. The effectiveness of general anaesthesia drug is playing a key role in the dependency on the same. In this blog, we discuss the use of general anaesthesia drugs in surgeries and how technological integration will make its use better.
Drug Approvals – Strengthening Usage of Anaesthesia
An increase in the number of the Covid-19 cases in 2020 and 2021 led to an increased demand for general anaesthesia drugs. As more number of people were in the intensive care units, general anaesthesia drugs were used for people suffering from health complications. To meet the demand for general drug anaesthesia, companies are focusing on getting the drugs by USDA and different government bodies.
In October 2021, the United States Food and Drug Administration approved the application of propofol injectable emulsion. The drug is an intravenous general anaesthetic and sedation drug. The anaesthesia drug’s quality to inhibit the growth rate of microorganisms for up to twelve hours is increasing its wide usage in the healthcare sector. The efficiency of propofol to keep the patient sedated for up to twelve hours is increasing the usage of the same.
Another key player, PAION, has received market approvals from different regions for general anaesthesia drugs and is focusing on promoting the commercialisation of the same. For instance, in December 2021, the company submitted an extended application for marketing Remimazolam as indication general anaesthesia to the European medicines agency. Furthermore, the company also received approval for Byfavo general anaesthesia for adults undergoing surgical procedures from South Korea. PAION is focusing on getting approvals for the general anaesthesia drug in different countries.
Efficiency of propofol during covid-19
A variety of general drug anaesthesia are used depending on the circumstances before the surgery. General drug anaesthesia like propofol, sevoflurane, remifentanil are widely used during surgeries. Amongst these, the application of propofol has been more owing to its properties. The Covid-19 pandemic accelerated the use of propofol especially for people suffering from severe respiratory problems and the ones who were hospitalised in the intensive care units.
During the peak of Covid-19 pandemic in June 2020, the United States Food and Drug Administration issued emergency use authorisation of Fresenius Propoven 2% (propofol 20 mg/mL). This general anaesthesia drug was approved for patients above sixteen years old who required mechanical ventilation in intensive care units.
Moving ahead, measuring the correct dosage of propofol has been an arduous task for surgeons. If the dosage of propofol given to the patient is high, the resulting impact and the consequences of the same can be harmful to the patient. Thus, the integration of machine learning and artificial intelligence is expected to help doctors to give the correct dosage of general anaesthesia drugs to patients. Furthermore, research is underway to integrate technology in the administration of propofol to make it less harmful to the patients.
Technological integration in anaesthesia
Artificial intelligence and machine learning are at the forefront of being integrated into every possible domain present in healthcare systems. Therefore, the integration of the same is also being widely used for general anaesthesia. Thus, the usage of technology is proving to be beneficial to administer the dosage of general anaesthesia drugs to patients. These technologies assist doctors and surgeons to record and maintain data of the dosage of anaesthesia given to patients along as well as the results.
For instance, Plexus TG’s Anesthesia Touch AIMS system is an automated medical record keeping system helps doctors and surgeons to maintain and record data to capture real time anaesthesia data throughout the perioperative process. This, in turn, helps the doctors to observe the effect of general anaesthesia drugs on the patients and helps them to deliver safe and effective care to patients. In addition, the anaesthesia touch system can be integrated seamlessly as it is based on the plug and play system. Furthermore, in February 2022, the anaesthesia touch system surpassed installation at more than 1000+ hospitals and was used for more than two million surgical cases.
Another manufacturer named Getinge is focusing on low flow anaesthesia delivery. The company is offering Flow-I anaesthesia machine that is engineered and designed for superior ventilation performance. The machine possesses decision supporting features and provides a wider range of settings for controlling and managing the setting of flows and pressures of the anaesthesia. The machine has increased the convenience of injecting anaesthesia in patients as it is designed in two different models – height adjustable and pendant model.
Thus, manufacturers of general drug anaesthesia are integrating artificial intelligence and machine learning to administer the effect of the dosage for surgical procedures that go on for particular timings
Conclusion – Future of general anaesthesia drug
An increase in health complications owing to changes in lifestyle and the birth of new ailments has escalated the number of people undergoing complex surgeries. This, in turn, has positively influenced the demand for general drug anaesthesia. In addition, technological integration and dependency on artificial intelligence and machine learning to maintain and analyse data is playing a key role in the rapid adoption of general drug anaesthesia.
Moreover, manufacturers are also widening the usage of general drug anaesthesia by getting approvals from governments of different countries and launching them by increasing the efficiency of the same.
Moving ahead, research is underway to completely minimise the side effects of general anaesthesia drugs, especially for patients suffering from complex illnesses or multiple health problems. For example, the research undertaken by the team based at MIT and Massachusetts general hospital shows that the integration of artificial intelligence assesses real time unconsciousness in patients. This is done with the algorithms produced by artificial intelligence that constantly monitors the brain activity. This, in turn, helps the doctors to understand the conscious state of the patient.
With more people undergoing surgeries and an increasing geriatric population, the use of general anaesthesia drugs will increase too. But, with the help of technological advancements, correct and administered dosage, general anaesthesia drug will be widely used in different healthcare applications too.
Author Bio: Saurabh Sharma, General Manager Healthcare Research at Future Market Research at Future Market Insights
Saurabh is the General Manager for Healthcare Research domain at ESOMAR-certified market research and consulting firm Future Market Insights (FMI). The award-winning firm is headquartered in Dubai, with offices in the US, UK, and India. MarketNgage is the Market Research Subscription Platform from FMI that assists stakeholders in obtaining in-depth research across industries, markets and niche segments. You can connect with Saurabh on LinkedIn.
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