Life Cycle Assessment in Orthopedics

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Public Health
• Healthcare Management

Background:

• The COVID-19 pandemic escalated the use of personal protective equipment (PPE), leading to increased medical waste.
• Healthcare's environmental impact stems from both waste generation and emissions, which are indicators of consumption.
• Medical equipment production, especially disposables, and energy use in facilities are major drivers of healthcare emissions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To differentiate between healthcare's waste and emissions issues.
• To highlight that production, not waste disposal, is the primary source of environmental emissions in healthcare.
• To advocate for the adoption of sustainable practices, including life cycle assessments, within orthopedic surgery.

Main Methods:

• Reviewing the relationship between medical waste and environmental emissions.
• Analyzing the life cycle of medical supplies to quantify environmental impact.
• Comparing emissions from waste disposal versus production and energy use.

Main Results:

• Medical waste generation and environmental emissions are linked but not identical issues.
• The production phase of medical equipment, particularly disposables, has a greater environmental impact than waste disposal.
• Energy consumption for facility operations also contributes significantly to healthcare emissions.

Conclusions:

• Healthcare must address both its waste and emissions challenges concurrently.
• Life cycle assessment (LCA) is a crucial tool for informed decision-making regarding materials and methods in patient care.
• Orthopedic surgery, like other specialties, needs to prioritize reducing its environmental footprint.