Renewal on the Rise: China Life Support Medical Device Market Insights

China’s life support medical device renewal market is gathering pace, posting steady growth from January to May 2025. With county-level medical communities emerging as hot spots for renewal demand, these trends point to a market on the cusp of change — and fresh opportunities to capture for life support medical device manufacturers.

Read on for an analysis of recent procurement trends and what they mean for market entrants and manufacturers operating in the Chinese market.

Market Overview: Life Support Devices in China

According to data from Joinchain (众成数科), a Chinese medical device data solutions provider, China’s public medical institutions spent 4.741 billion yuan (approximately USD 660 million) on life-support equipment procurement between January and May 2025.

Routine procurement continues to dominate spending, with large-scale life support equipment renewals accounting for only about 4% of total spending. Of that share, county-level medical communities—administrative divisions responsible for local governance, usually in rural or semi-rural areas—made up roughly 63%, signalling a growing push for modernization outside major urban hospitals.

This trend underscores the rising importance of county-level institutions in shaping future demand.

Category Insights: Where Growth Is Happening

To understand how this demand is playing out in practice, it is useful to look at procurement patterns across different product categories. While dynamics differ across segments, several categories emerged as the primary drivers of equipment renewal between January and May 2025.

Dialysis Equipment: Haemodialysis Leading Growth

China has seen nearly 700 units of haemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis equipment procured through large-scale equipment upgrades in the first five months of 2025. Haemodialysis equipment dominates this segment, accounting for over 90% of total sales.

National Market: SWS Medical’s SWS-6000A/SWS-4000A models lead the market, with its technical stability recognised by top-tier hospitals.
County Market: BLT Biolight’s BLT-D800S holds the largest market share, followed by B. Braun, with cost-effectiveness and localised services being key advantages.

Respiratory Ventilators: Diverging National vs. County Demand

Ventilator procurement highlights a clear divide: while national institutions focus on non-invasive models, county hospitals are rapidly shifting toward invasive options.

National Market: Non-invasive ventilators account for over 70% of renewal purchases, led by Mindray's SV70S/SV300.
County Market: Demand for invasive ventilators has surged, with Komed's V6A achieving a 47% market share.
Domestication Rate: Currently 63.9%, though reliance on imported technologies persists for high-end models.

Anaesthesia Machines: Steady but Concentrated Procurement

In contrast, anaesthesia machines show only modest renewal activity.

National Market: 115 units were procured, with Mindray's WATO EX-65/A7 series representing 45% of the market.
County Market: Accounted for less than 10% of overall procurement.

Patient Monitoring Systems: Counties Driving Rapid Uptake

Patient monitoring is one of the fastest-growing segments, particularly in county-level markets.

Telemetry Monitoring Systems: County procurement volume increased by 93% year-over-year, with Mindray's ePM series monopolizing the grassroots market.
Policy Support: "AI + Healthcare" billing pilot programs are driving demand for interconnected medical devices, such as high-end telemetry monitoring systems.

External Defibrillators: Split Preferences Between National and County Markets:

Defibrillator procurement shows distinct preferences between national and county markets.

National Market: More than 50% of units were Philips’ G40E.
County Market: Mindray’s BeneVision series holds the advantage at this level, reflecting stronger traction in local hospitals.

Opportunities for Overseas Life Support Device Manufacturers

Together, these developments highlight a positive trajectory for China’s large-scale equipment renewal market. For overseas manufacturers, the opportunity is clear:

County-level hospitals are modernising their equipment at scale.
Patient monitoring systems are expanding rapidly, supported by digital health initiatives and AI-focused policies.
High-end models continue to depend on imported technologies.

At the same time, China’s regulatory environment is complex, and timely market entry can be difficult. With more than 20 years of experience, Cisema provides end-to-end regulatory support to help international medical device manufacturers overcome barriers and succeed.

If you are a life support device manufacturer looking to accelerate entry into the Chinese market, contact Cisema today.

Further Information

Learn more about Cisema’s medical device regulatory services.

Reference

Read Joinchain’s full analysis on China’s life support medical device equipment renewal market trends, including procurement data and brand insights, available in simplified Chinese: