The environmental impact of multi-specialty robotic-assisted surgery: a waste audit analysis

Modern advances in medicine and technology have led to an increase in robotic-assisted surgery (RAS) cases. However, concerns have been raised about the potential environmental impact of RAS. Despite this, only limited quantitative evidence is currently available. Therefore, this study aims to objectively quantify the environmental impact of a multi-specialty RAS caseload at an Australian public tertiary hospital. An analysis was performed to quantify the amount of waste produced on a consecutive multi-specialty RAS caseload performed between August 2016 and March 2023 at a major public hospital. The weight of each instrument and consumable was measured and the total weight of discarded waste was calculated for each RAS case. A total of 671 patients underwent RAS using the da Vinci Xi System, including Urology (n = 341, 50.8%), Cardiothoracic (n = 158, 23.5%), Gynaecology (n = 107, 16.0%), and Colorectal (n = 65, 9.7%). Overall, the amount of waste was 2,948.9 kg, with single-use items contributing the largest volume (93.9%). Cardiothoracic generated the lowest average weight of waste per case (3.04 kg) while Colorectal generated the highest (5.27 kg). Overall, the da Vinci Xi instrument arm drape was the single item with the largest contribution to the total weight of waste (32.9%). RAS generates substantial waste, primarily from single-use items. These findings underscore the need for strategies to mitigate the environmental footprint of RAS as its adoption continues to grow.