Infant care equipment is used for newborn or preterm infants in order to provide accessibility for resuscitation or procedures without jeopardizing thermal stability. This equipment helps to provide heat, supply oxygen, and monitor vital parameters. Cardiopulmonary monitors, blood pressure monitors, endotracheal tube, bili lights, nasal cannula, incubators, radiant warmer, pulse oximeter, and ventilators are among the various types of infant radiant warmers.

Infant radiant warmer, also called neonatal warming equipment, offers heat to infants suffering from severe heat loss. The body surface area of infants is large as compared to volume and they have very little fat content in their body. While in most cases basic clothing and mother’s warmth would suffice to complement the heat produced in the body of a healthy new born baby, for premature babies and those suffering from debilitating conditions, artificial heat needs to be provided to ensure proper bodily functions of the baby and is crucial for its survival. Infant radiant warming equipment is an open bed, provided with a heat source to keep the baby warm. The source of heat is infrared (IR) radiations that are beamed from quartz heater via parabolic reflector.

The infant radiant warmer market is projected to grow at steady state during the forecast period (2016–2024). Increasing prevalence of premature birth is expected to drive growth of the infant radiant warmer market. For instance, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO), in 2015, approximately 15 million babies are born premature across the globe. Almost 1 million babies die every year due to the complications of premature birth. Furthermore, increasing incidence of hospital acquired diseases, further creates an acute need for proper care and sterile environment for the baby, something that is provided by infant radiant warmers. For instance, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in 2011, about 1 in every 25 was infected with at least one hospital acquired infections.

The introduction of innovative products is expected to increase their application and in turn fuel growth of the global infant radiant warmers market. For instance, GE Healthcare’s commercially available product, Lullaby Warmer, can uniformly distribute heat to ensure easy positioning of the baby, visually coded control panel and color coded safety alarms – simple to understand and language independent and has 69% faster warm up. Also, growing number of infant radiant warmer manufacturers is expected to propel market growth over the forecast period. Furthermore, rise in government funds is analyzed to support growth of the infant radiant warmer market. For instance, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has added a level (level IV) in infant nursing which in turn may increase growth of the infant radiant warmer market. Moreover, rise in number of hospitals across the globe is expected to increase demand for infant radiant warmer market. According to WHO data, yearly around 20 million premature and low birth weight babies are born and out of which 3 million babies die in the first four weeks of life. Hence, it is recommended that every hospital must essentially have at least one infant intensive care unit, which must comprise of all infant care equipment. However, high costs associated with the warmer and risk of high exposure to heat is likely to restraint growth of the infant radiant warmer market to a certain extent.

Infant Radiant Warmer Market Taxonomy

The infant radiant warmer market is segmented on the basis of type and geography. By product type, infant radiant warmer market can be segmented into mobile radiant warmer, wall-mount radiant warmer and cot type radiant warmer.

In terms of geography, the global infant radiant warmer market can be segmented into North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Rest of the World. The North America market accounts for the highest market share owing to the established healthcare infrastructure, increased healthcare expenditure and high disposable income. Also, major players in the infant radiant warmer market are based in North America. However, Asia Pacific market is projected to grow at a faster rate owing to the rapidly developing healthcare infrastructure and rising prevalence of premature births in the region. For instance, according to a survey conducted by WHO in 2010, out of 27 million babies born in India, over 3.5 million were born premature. Also, an increase in healthcare spending in countries such as China and India is analyzed to boost growth of the infant radiant warmer market during the forecast period.

Some of the prominent players in the infant radiant warmer market are Fisher & Paykel Healthcare Limited., General Electric Company, Neotech Medical Pvt. Ltd, Phoenix Medical Systems (P) Ltd., Natus Medical Incorporated.,Ardo, Fanem Ltda., and Draeger, Inc.

Key Developments

Fundraising events and charity tournaments to facilitate purchase of major equipment for the maternity wards in hospitals is expected to benefit growth of the infant radiant warmer market. For instance, in August 2019, the UMass Memorial HealthAlliance Hospital 29th Annual Golf Classic fundraiser, raised over US$ 260,000 to provide additional resources to purchase five radiant warmers used to maintain body temperature of newborn infants.

Increasing number of technological innovations and product launches by market players are also expected to drive the market growth. In October 2017, Dräger launched its Babyleo TN500 IncuWarmer beds in the U.S. These devices can control the temperature inside the infant warmer/incubator and can be used in open and closed care, as well as during transitions.

Increasing initiative on improving quality of neonatal care by governments across the globe is likely to have a positive impact on the demand for infant care equipment. For instance, in February 2019, the government of India floated draft orders to chart out quality control rules for diagnostic electrical medical equipment which includes cardiac defibrillators, infant radiant warmers, multi-functional patient monitoring equipment, and pulse oximetersm among others.