Minimal Custom Pack Design and Wide-Awake Hand Surgery: Reducing Waste and Spending in the Orthopedic Operating Room

Abstract

Surgical waste and spending can be reduced by minimizing the materials brought into the operating room in disposable packs. WAHS, as a nascent technique, may provide an opportunity to drive sustainability by paring back what is considered necessary in these packs. Moreover, despite some initial anxiety, many patients report greater satisfaction with WAHS. All told, our study suggests a potentially broader role for WAHS, with its concomitant emphases on patient satisfaction and the efficient use of time and resources.

The Safety and Benefits of the Semisterile Technique for Closed Reduction and Percutaneous Pinning of Pediatric Upper Extremity Fractures

“…The benefits of the semisterile technique are alike to wide-awake hand surgery, which has been proven to decrease operative-related health care costs. 7,13 The concept of using a semisterile technique when performing a CRPP procedure was first introduced by Iobst and colleagues for the treatment of pediatric supracondylar humerus fractures. 6 The authors only prepped the extremity at the site of pin placement using Betadine solution and created a sterile operative field using only sterile towels.…”

“…The benefits of the semisterile technique are alike to wide-awake hand surgery, which has been proven to decrease operative-related health care costs. 7,13…”

Four Ways Plastic Surgeons Can Fight Climate Change

“…Preparation of green sets containing only necessary equipment decreases waste. In this way, Van Demark et al 6 reduced operating room trash per case by 5 pounds. Three tons of waste was prevented over a 2-year study period.…”

“…A related study by Thiel et al suggest these efficiency gains are reproducible. 6 Unused material from traditional sets that would otherwise be wasted may be donated for reuse in the developing world. 42…”

“… 4 If surgeons are responsible for the waste their operating rooms generate, a plastic surgeon is likely to far exceed the 4.5 pounds of trash produced by the average American per day. 5 , 6 Because operating rooms are resource-intensive and often wasteful, we assumed they are prime targets for environmentally minded improvement.…”