Environmentally Responsible Hand Surgery: Past, Present, and Future

Bravo, Dalibel; Gaston, R. Glenn; Melamed, Eitan

doi:10.1016/j.jhsa.2019.10.031

Cited by 30 publications

(30 citation statements)

References 16 publications

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“… 45 The use of volatile anaesthetic agents could be profoundly limited by preferentially using total intravenous anaesthesia and regional anaesthesia when appropriate. 46 , 47 , 48 Regional anaesthesia could have additional advantages in low-resource and hard-to-reach settings, including cost, safety, OR efficiency, and the potential for task-shifting to non-specialist providers, 49 thereby improving access as well as sustainability. Using low fresh gas flow or closed-circuit delivery can reduce the volume of volatile gas consumed by 20%.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Building sustainable and resilient surgical systems: A narrative review of opportunities to integrate climate change into national surgical planning in the Western Pacific region

Qin

Velin

Yates

et al. 2022

The Lancet Regional Health - Western Pacific

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In terms of the location of surgery, performing minor operations, such as skin lesion excision and carpal tunnel release, in a clinic setting where appropriate could reduce GHG emissions associated with maintaining an OR environment and improve service access when ORs are unavailable. 47 …”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Building sustainable and resilient surgical systems: A narrative review of opportunities to integrate climate change into national surgical planning in the Western Pacific region

Qin

Velin

Yates

et al. 2022

The Lancet Regional Health - Western Pacific

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“…8 Embracing new technology, such as telemedicine or electronic medical systems, can also reduce carbon emissions. 49,77 Further research is needed to identify safe and efficient ways of implementing environmentally sustainable changes within orthopaedic surgery, while still safeguarding high-quality care and good patient outcomes. A recent systematic review has demonstrated that adopting sustainable methods can improve both OR efficiency and postoperative care.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Environmental sustainability in orthopaedic surgery

et al. 2022

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Aims In the UK, the NHS generates an estimated 25 megatonnes of carbon dioxide equivalents (4% to 5% of the nation’s total carbon emissions) and produces over 500,000 tonnes of waste annually. There is limited evidence demonstrating the principles of sustainability and its benefits within orthopaedic surgery. The primary aim of this study was to analyze the environmental impact of orthopaedic surgery and the environmentally sustainable initiatives undertaken to address this. The secondary aim of this study was to describe the barriers to making sustainable changes within orthopaedic surgery. Methods A literature search was performed according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines through EMBASE, Medline, and PubMed libraries using two domains of terms: “orthopaedic surgery” and “environmental sustainability”. Results A total of 13 studies were included in the final analysis. All papers studied the environmental impact of orthopaedic surgery in one of three areas: waste management, resource consumption, and carbon emissions. Waste segregation was a prevalent issue and described by nine studies, with up to 74.4% of hazardous waste being generated. Of this, six studies reported recycling waste and up to 43.9% of waste per procedure was recyclable. Large joint arthroplasties generated the highest amount of recyclable waste per procedure. Three studies investigated carbon emissions from intraoperative consumables, sterilization methods, and through the use of telemedicine. One study investigated water wastage and demonstrated that simple changes to practice can reduce water consumption by up to 63%. The two most common barriers to implementing environmentally sustainable changes identified across the studies was a lack of appropriate infrastructure and lack of education and training. Conclusion Environmental sustainability in orthopaedic surgery is a growing area with a wide potential for meaningful change. Further research to cumulatively study the carbon footprint of orthopaedic surgery and the wider impact of environmentally sustainable changes is necessary. Cite this article: Bone Jt Open 2022;3(8):628–640.

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“…Dissemination of the 5-R’s ( Reduce, Recycle, Reuse, Rethink, and Research ) will erode apathy and disrupt norms. 46 , 47 For maximum impact, future research must focus on 2 outcome measures: tons of carbon emission prevented and money saved. These common denominators will facilitate systematic amalgamation of different works.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Four Ways Plastic Surgeons Can Fight Climate Change

Brown

Meals

2020

Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery - Global Open

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Background: The climate crisis demands that surgeons reduce their environmental impact. Operating rooms are resource-intensive and are often wasteful. This makes them fitting targets for climate-conscious decision making. Methods: We searched for peer-reviewed literature describing how plastic surgeons might positively affect the environment through action in the operating room. Results: Several evidence-based, pro-climate practices may be undertaken by plastic surgeons. These strategies may be grouped into 4 types: material, energy, technique, and dissemination. Each strategy is a way to reduce, reuse, recycle, research, or rethink. Conclusions: Administrative obstacles to greener operating rooms are predictable and surmountable, especially because environmentally minded decisions are likely to save money. We anticipate a surge of environmental consciousness in healthcare. Plastic surgeons, as thought leaders, are well positioned to champion this cause.

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Environmentally Responsible Hand Surgery: Past, Present, and Future

Cited by 30 publications

References 16 publications

Building sustainable and resilient surgical systems: A narrative review of opportunities to integrate climate change into national surgical planning in the Western Pacific region

Building sustainable and resilient surgical systems: A narrative review of opportunities to integrate climate change into national surgical planning in the Western Pacific region

Environmental sustainability in orthopaedic surgery

Four Ways Plastic Surgeons Can Fight Climate Change

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