Cost-effective strategies for reducing carbon emissions in plastic surgery

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Healthcare Management
• Surgical Innovation

Background:

• Global warming presents a significant threat to public health.
• The healthcare sector is a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions, with operating theaters generating substantial waste.
• Plastic surgery departments face challenges in managing waste and costs associated with disposable surgical supplies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To implement and evaluate carbon and cost-saving measures within plastic surgery.
• To analyze the environmental and financial impact of reducing disposable surgical sets and consumables.
• To optimize surgical set rationalization from minor operations to complex reconstructions.

Main Methods:

• Assessed current usage of disposable sets and consumables in plastic surgery.
• Conducted financial and environmental cost analyses comparing disposable and reusable surgical sets.
• Applied findings to rationalize main operating theatre plastic surgery sets.
• Utilized Jamovi statistical software for data analysis.

Main Results:

• Reducing instruments in minor plastic surgery sets by 77% yielded savings of €50,310 and 3,388 kgCO2e.
• Decreasing microsurgical breast reconstruction set contents by 55% and reducing single-use consumables saved €10,696 and 181 kgCO2e annually.
• Eliminating disposable sets in one unit projected savings of €13,173 and 2,199 kgCO2e.

Conclusions:

• Significant environmental and economic improvements were achieved in plastic surgery.
• Potential savings exceed €74,000 and 5.7 tonnes of CO2e annually, with no adverse effect on patient care.
• These sustainable practices are replicable across other hospital departments for broader impact.