Amniocentesis Needle – Instrumental in Detecting Congenital Defects

A needle that is used to carry out the amniocentesis test is known as the amniocentesis needle. This amniocentesis test is a type of a prenatal test, in which a small amount of the amniotic fluid is removed from the sac that surrounds the foetus. The fluid is then used for testing purposes and a fine needle used to remove the fluid, which is inserted into the abdomen being guided through ultrasound. After this, a laboratory analysis of the fluid is carried out.

The ultrasonic scan that is used to guide the guide the need le foe the extraction of the fluid and makes the use of high frequency sound waves in order to produce an image of the womb. It allows the doctors and the healthcare professionals to check the position the baby is in, facilitate in the finding of the best place, from where the amniotic fluid can be removed and lastly, ensure that the needle can be pass safely through the walls of the abdomen and the womb.

The first step in carrying out the test is the cleaning of the abdomen and then a syringe is used to insert a long and thin needle, called the amniocentesis needle to remove the sample of amniotic fluid then the next step is the lab analysis and observation the fluid is being sent for. However, in some of the women, that is around six women out of every hundred women, a problem does occur in extracting the fluid. Therefore, the needle then has to be inserted again to facilitate the proper removal of the fluid.

The importance of the test in the detection of various defect and diseases that pose a risk

Amniocentesis test is basically carried out in order to detect any birth defects that might be present in the baby, such as the Down syndrome, which is an abnormality that rises due to chromosomes. In addition, the amniocentesis test is able to detect other conditions such as sickle cell disease, cystic fibrosis or muscular dystrophy, and even Tay-Sachs among other diseases.

Amniocentesis test is used for the detection of neural tube defects, which are defects in which the brain and spinal column do not develop properly, such as spins bifida and anencephaly. Therefore, to limit the number of deaths that are caused due to congenital defects the demand for the amniocentesis needles, so that defects can be detected faster and thus, this is causing a surge in the development of the healthcare industry.

Measures to be taken before and after the test

One of the most important and essential parts of the test is to clean the abdomen, to minimize the risks of getting infections, then the next important step is to numb the desired are where the needle is to be injected with the amniocentesis needle. This procedure may or may not be necessary, but that depends on the condition of the patient.

After the test, the appropriate measures must be taken to avoid the pain, painkillers or over the counter drugs can be taken to quell the pain such as Paracetamol, but not Ibuprofen.

Product Offerings by Industry Players in Amniocentesis Needle Market

There are an increasing number of market players, involved in the provision of the enhanced and advanced products to cater to the demands for amniocentesis needles from different end-users such as hospitals, and diagnostic centres so that they can cement their market position further and increase their market share over the forecast period. For instance, Cooper Surgical Inc., provide amniocentesis needles that for single use and are packaged with full sterilization in sterilized packs. The product that they provide is called “Wallace Amniocentesis Needles” and have spiral tips to provide a much clearer visibility of the inner abdomen under the guidance of the ultrasound test. The parts and accessories that are available with this product are a 90 mm needle that weighs just 22g, a 120mm needle that weighs 21g and a 150mm needle weighing 21g, with 10 present in each of the box of this product. Laboratoire CCD, offers a product that is able to provide enhanced control over the procedure. The needle that they provide is sandblasted distal tip, which also sports a triple-bevels for facilitating an easier insertion. A stylet is used in order to increase the rigidity of the product, and the product is developed under strict adherence to Class IIa medical devices in packaged in sterile conditions.

Cook, another company that deals in the provision of medical devices and products offer their product called the “EchoTip Disposable Amniocentesis Needles” , which are used for the extraction of the fluid safely from the amniotic sac present in the abdomen. The EchoTip technology that the product makes use of is able to enhance the visualization of the needle tip under ultrasound screening, the needle also has a distal side port in order to get rid of the debris that may be accumulated on the needle during the test. In addition, the product is for single use and should be disposed after use in the test.  LabIVF Asia Pte Ltd., is a company dealing in the provision of different types of equipment in order to cater to the rising demand from various end-users involved in provision of healthcare services. They offer their product called the “Amniocentesis Needles”, which are provided with stylets, are sterile and easily visible in the ultrasound and used for the sampling the amniotic fluids. The most valuable feature of the product is that the hubs of the needles are colour coded so that they can easily provide identification of the needle gauge and the needle length and the stylets of these needles can locate them selves so that blockages are prevented effectively. Therefore, the provision of these products, by the market players, is contributing to the increase in the amniocentesis needle market sizeover the forecast period.

Conclusion:

Currently, there are different lengths and gauges of amniocentesis needles are being used, but the 100-150mm needles are most common and are expected to hold a significant share in this market and is anticipated to witness a fast growth rate in the upcoming years due to the burgeoning demand from the hospitals and diagnostic centres. With respect to current market trends, it is anticipated that the Echotip and the colour coded hub needles will flourish in the upcoming years with demand being generated owing to the high amount of usage in the diagnostic centres. There is a growing need for a well-developed and good-quality product, which has good durability, reliability an efficiency among other essential characteristics. This is one of the major factors, which will continue to play a role in driving this market. In addition, it will attract many new entrants who will bring new and better changes and enhancement in amniocentesis needles. Thus, the market will remain competitive and it is projected to show modest growth in the upcoming years.