Hernia refers to a medical condition that results in bulging of an organ through an abdominal opening. Hernia mesh devices refers to surgical meshes used to provide additional support to weak or damaged tissue. Majority of surgical mesh are made up of synthetic materials or animal tissue and can be found in knitted mesh of non-knitted sheet forms. The synthetic materials used in the composition of these meshes can be either absorbable, non-absorbable or a combination of both. On the other hand, animal derived meshes of hernia repair are absorbable in nature and are produced from porcine and bovine sources. Hernia mesh devices are available in various measurements and can often be cut to sizes depending on the repair technique or the size of hernia. These meshes are placed either over the defected area in abdominal wall or bellow it, which can hold in the place with few sutures. The technique is widely adopted as a superior technique to that of primary suture repair. New tissue growth initiates on the mesh to provide the strength to muscles were hernia repair surgery was operated, as the absorbable material or biologic mesh degrades over time.

Market Dynamics

Increasing incidence of hernia is one of the major factors responsible for growth of global hernia mesh devices market. According to the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) 2017, abdominal hernias are quite common in the U.S. and reported to occur in 1.5% of the total population of the country, which accounts for one case per 15,000 people. Moreover, the National Center for Health Statistics 2015 suggests that over 20 million surgeries for hernia repair are performed worldwide, every year, as well as 3 million new cases are reported each year suffering from hernia. Moreover, adoption of minimally invasive laparoscopic techniques for hernia repair is further expected to propel growth of global hernia mesh devices market. According to National Institute of Health Care and Excellence, around 95% of hernia mesh surgeries in England were performed by open surgical procedures and 5% by laparoscopic methods in 2000. However, the adoption of laparoscopic surgeries was reported to increase by 20% by 2011 and expected to witness further rise in the near future. Furthermore, advantages offered by mesh includes prevention of recurring, non-reactivity with the biological tissues, and easy access and these are factors expected to support growth of market in the forecast years. On the other hand, unfavorable reimbursement policies for these procedures and meshes by the Medicare is expected to hinder the market growth. For instance, according to Medicare Reimbursement Coding Guide for 2017, for hernia & abdominal wall repair surgery, laparoscopy was not reimbursed in ambulatory surgical centers.

Regional Insights

On the basis of region, the global hernia mesh devices market is segmented into North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East, and Africa. North America holds a dominant position in the global hernia mesh devices market and is expected to retain its dominance over the forecast period. This is attributed to increasing use of mesh in hernia repair surgeries. According to the American Medical Writers Association 2016, around 90% of surgeries of hernia repair in the U.S. use hernia mesh. Moreover, presence of leading market players in the region developing innovative mesh solutions is further expected to aid in growth of the market in the region. For instance, in May 2017, Integra LifeSciences introduced SurgiMend MP Collagen matrix for hernia repair that offers a cost effective alternative to reabsorbable synthetic mesh to support tissue building, healing, and prolonged reinforcement in the abdominal hernia repair.

Asia Pacific is expected to witness maximum traction in the market, owing to rising number of awareness campaigns undertaken by government and non-government organizations and well as developing healthcare infrastructure in the middle income economies such as India, South Korea and other ASEAN countries. For instance, the Asia-Pacific Hernia Society (APHS) is focused on providing a professional platform for education and cooperation in educational activities around the Asia Pacific region about the methods of diagnosis and treatment of abdominal hernia, including hiatal, parastomal, and pelvic hernias.

Competitive Insights

Key players operating in the global hernia mesh devices market include Medtronic Plc, Atrium Medical, TELA Bio, Ethicon, Inc., C.R. Bard, Inc., W.L. Gore and Assoicates, LifeCell Corporation, Integra Lifesciences, B. Braun Melsunges AG, and others. New players are entering the market with high performance products to deliver better offerings and give a competitive edge to the existing market giants. For instance, in 2016, TELA Bio, a U.S.-based start-up introduced OviTex Reinforced bio scaffolds for ventral hernia repair and abdominal wall construction, integrating polymer and biologic materials in a unique embroidered construction.

Market Taxonomy

On the basis of hernia type, the global hernia mesh devices market is segmented into: