Trends

The specialty bed and support surface market for wound management earned revenues of $1.6 billion in 2005 and is estimated to reach $2.9 billion in 2012.

Novel technologies and lower costs for mattress replacements are shifting consumers from specialty bed systems and overlays. In an effort to provide more therapeutic value to end users at an affordable cost, mattress replacements are increasingly designed to fit the needs of most frames in all health care settings, including acute, long term and home care.

The growing demand for highly functional and less expensive products is creating a cost-driven market, compelling manufacturers to lower prices. Due to an aging population that is prone to developing pressure sores and an increasing number of obese patients, specialty beds and support surfaces with advanced technologies are expected to dominate the market.

Additionally, the market is expected to grow due to an increasing prevalence of pressure ulcers and costs associated with treatment and prevention. Approximately 1 million pressure ulcers occur in the U.S. generating an estimated $1.3 billion in hospital costs annually.
— Frost & Sullivan, “U.S. Specialty Bed and Support Surface Markets”

“[The] increasing number of patients with pressure ulcers boosts demand for preventative therapy. Products with a greater focus on prevention are likely to experience a significant increase in sales.”
— Sheila Ewing, research analyst, Frost & Sullivan