Carbon Footprint of Routine Endoscopic Procedures - A Comprehensive Assessment in Three United States Endoscopy Units

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Healthcare Sustainability
• Medical Procedures

Background:

• Healthcare contributes significantly to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
• Data on the carbon footprint of endoscopic procedures are limited.
• Routine endoscopic procedures have an environmental impact that needs quantification.

Purpose of the Study:

• To quantify the carbon footprint of performing routine endoscopic procedures.
• To identify the primary sources of emissions in endoscopy.
• To compare the carbon footprint of colonoscopy and upper endoscopy.

Main Methods:

• Prospective audit of 133 endoscopic procedures across three U.S. units.
• Life cycle assessment (LCA) to quantify carbon footprint (kgCO2e).
• Analysis included pre/post-procedural care, sedation, travel, reprocessing, HVAC, and energy.

Main Results:

• Mean carbon footprint: 53.2 kgCO2e, with similar emissions for colonoscopy (55.2 kgCO2e) and EGD (51.5 kgCO2e).
• HVAC and electricity (42%), patient travel (29%), and supplies (22%) were major emission sources.
• Performing both procedures same-day reduced combined footprint by 42%; emissions varied 1.5-fold between units.

Conclusions:

• Routine endoscopic procedures have comparable emissions, but significant inter-unit variation exists.
• HVAC and energy use are the largest contributors to endoscopy's carbon footprint.
• Site-specific emission reduction strategies are crucial for improving sustainability in endoscopy.