Carbon footprint of tonsillectomy

Healthcare is responsible for 5.4% of greenhouse gas emissions in the UK. Emissions in surgery is a relatively unexplored area; in particular, this hasn't yet been looked at as a whole in ENT in the UK. The purpose of the study was to quantify the amount of greenhouse gas (GHG) emission from a tonsillectomy and assess the proportion of each source's contribution.

Operational data from tonsillectomies performed at a large university teaching hospital in the UK were gathered and converted to global warming potential using established conversion factors and data from existing healthcare-focused carbon footprint studies. The domains considered were waste, pharmaceuticals, surgical instrument decontamination, transportation, consumables use and utilities. This study used a process-based carbon footprint approach based on the "Greenhouse Gas Protocol: Product Life Cycle Accounting and Reporting Standard".

The carbon footprint of a typical case was 41 kgCO2e which is equivalent to driving a car for approximately 150 miles. Consumables were responsible for 17% of this; 14% came from transport, 5.4% from decontamination, 4.8% from pharmaceuticals and 4% from waste. However, the largest GHG was from utilities, of which heating, ventilation and air conditioning was the overwhelming contributor.

While the largest sources of GHG emissions require hospital-wide initiatives, there are aspects of consumables and waste streams we can improve on in ENT surgery. These include the use of disposable vs reusable instruments as well as increased availability and use of recycling waste streams in theatres. Additionally, this study provides a template that can be applied to other ENT procedures.