The best and most cost-effective treatment option for end-stage organ failure is the donation and transplantation of organs. 

The global wearable artificial organs market is experiencing significant growth due to:

• Increasing frequency of organ failure 
• Long waiting times for organ transplants
• An expanding geriatric population prone to kidney failure
• Increasing cases of debilitating hearing loss requiring cochlear implants  

Yet, there are many barriers impacting the ability to procure organs to meet transplantation needs. Some of these barriers include organ scarcity, religion, under-represented ethnic groups, issues with obtaining problems, lack of awareness, and general ethical issues.

In 2019, there were approximately 113,000 U.S. patients in need of organ transplants, and more than half of those (67,000) belonged to ethnic minorities. Although 58% of the U.S. population is registered as potential donors, the need for transplant organs far surpasses their availability. 

Supply and demand drive the market

This marked imbalance between supply and demand has created enormous opportunities and increased growth in the global wearable artificial organs market. The market is separated into mechanical technology and electronic technology, and these are categorized by product, namely:

• Kidney
• Pancreas
• Cochlear implants
• Exoskeletons
• Bionic limbs
• Brain bionics
• Vision bionics

According to the Wearable Artificial Organs Market Report—a detailed analysis of the latest industry developments, market drivers, opportunities, and trending factors that impact the market both regionally and worldwide—the market is projected to grow by 16.9% between 2021 and 2027.

The impact of COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic led many governments and specialist bodies to recommend canceling elective procedures, including cochlear implantation for disabling hearing loss, and resuming them once they could be performed without danger to patient treatment and safety. 

While cochlear implants are not as commonly discussed as kidney, heart, liver, or other organ transplants, approximately 466 million people worldwide suffer from debilitating hearing loss, of which 34 million are children.

As a result, wearable cochlear implants carried the largest market share in 2020, and that product segment is expected to grow a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.3% by 2027. The wearable artificial kidney segment is expected to grow by nearly 35.8% by 2027.

Global competition

North America (including Central America) dominated the wearable artificial organs market in 2020, although the Asia-Pacific region was close behind and is expected to increase by 18.8% by 2027 due to a combination of its growing elderly population and the modernization of the region’s healthcare system. The law of supply and demand is also alive and well in other parts of the world, however.

The global market regions for wearable artificial organs are divided into:

• North America 
• South America
• Europe 
• Asia-Pacific 
• Middle East and Africa
• All other regions

Some of the leading corporations in the market include:

• Abbott Laboratories (American)
• Cochlear Ltd. (Australian)
• Cyberdyne (Japanese)
• Medtronic (Irish, American)
• Second Sight Medical Products (American)
• Sonova (Swiss)

Time will tell what effects long COVID and changing population dynamics will have on the market, innovation, product availability, and the quality of life for patients in need of transplants.

*UnivDatos Market Insights. (2021, Apr. 6). Lack of Donors Driving the Wearable Artificial Organs Market: Current Analysis and Forecast with Different Segments, Key Players Insights. PR Newswire. https://www.prnewswire.com/in/news-releases/lack-of-donors-driving-the-wearable-artificial-organs-market-current-analysis-and-forecast-with-different-segments-key-players-insights-univdatos-market-insights-874471848.html