When you think about surgery, the environment probably isn’t the first thing that comes to mind. But for pediatric surgeon Ami Shah, MD, the operating room isn’t just a place to heal—it’s also a place where we can help heal the planet.
Shah and her colleague, Brian Gulack, MD, have been researching the massive amount of medical waste hospitals produce, much of it from single-use surgical supplies. Their findings are eye-opening—and hopeful. By rethinking the way surgeons prepare for and perform procedures, clinicians can reduce waste, save money and protect the environment without compromising patient care.
Trimming the fat from procedure cards
Every surgeon uses a procedure card—a checklist of the tools and supplies they need for a specific surgery. These cards help ensure everyone in the OR is on the same page. But as Shah points out, many of these lists are outdated, overly long or copied from mentors without much thought. That means supplies get opened but never used—then tossed in the trash.
“Very few people know how to create a procedure card, and you end up having a lot of waste because you may or may not use exactly what your mentor had,” Shah says. She likens the items listed on the procedure card to junk in your house that needs to be cleaned up.
Take laparoscopic appendectomies, for example. About 300,000 are performed each year in the U.S., and many are simple cases that don’t require expensive disposable tools. Still, items like staplers are routinely opened and immediately thrown out if unused. This costs hospitals an estimated $200 million a year and creates mountains of waste, including plastics and metals that must be incinerated.
The fix? Simple changes like updating procedure cards and only opening tools if they’re actually needed. It’s a low-effort solution with big rewards—for budgets and for the planet.
Rethinking surgical caps
Another surprising source of medical waste: surgical caps. For years, many hospitals required disposable caps made from spun plastic, believing they were safer than reusable cloth ones, even though research shows disposable caps have no advantage in reducing OR infection over cotton ones.
And the environmental cost is huge. With more than 20 million surgeries performed each year, and at least six staff members per operation, that adds up to over 130 million disposable caps. Most end up in landfills, leaching harmful chemicals into the ground and water.
Reusable cloth caps, on the other hand, can cut down carbon emissions by nearly 80%. Yes, they use more water during production, but over time, their environmental impact is much lower—and they save hospitals money, too. Plus, washing them locally (for instance, at Rush’s laundry partner, Fillmore Linen Service on Chicago’s West Side) keeps the entire process community-centered.
Giving medical devices a second life
Shah is already seeing results from these greener practices. One standout initiative involves pulse oximeter probes—small devices that measure oxygen levels in the blood. Normally single-use, these probes (along with other devices like tourniquet cuffs and trocars) are now collected and sent to be cleaned, sterilized, and reprocessed.
In 2023 alone, Rush kept 24,000 pounds of medical waste out of landfills through this program. Nearly 140,000 devices were reprocessed, saving the hospital more than $400,000.
A healthier future
These changes may seem small in isolation, but the cumulative impact is profound. Hospitals are among the most resource-intensive institutions in society. By rethinking the routine and questioning outdated norms, even minor shifts can yield major gains for our planet.
This is not just about cutting costs. It is about aligning health care with the broader mission of healing—patients, communities, and now, the Earth. Shah’s work shows that we do not have to choose between excellent care and environmental responsibility. With intention and follow-through, we can have both.
That is the kind of surgery we can all feel better about.
Citation:
Greener surgeries, healthier planet (2025, April 23)
retrieved 23 April 2025
from https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-04-greener-surgeries-healthier-planet.html
This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no
part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.
When you think about surgery, the environment probably isn’t the first thing that comes to mind. But for pediatric surgeon Ami Shah, MD, the operating room isn’t just a place to heal—it’s also a place where we can help heal the planet.
Shah and her colleague, Brian Gulack, MD, have been researching the massive amount of medical waste hospitals produce, much of it from single-use surgical supplies. Their findings are eye-opening—and hopeful. By rethinking the way surgeons prepare for and perform procedures, clinicians can reduce waste, save money and protect the environment without compromising patient care.
Trimming the fat from procedure cards
Every surgeon uses a procedure card—a checklist of the tools and supplies they need for a specific surgery. These cards help ensure everyone in the OR is on the same page. But as Shah points out, many of these lists are outdated, overly long or copied from mentors without much thought. That means supplies get opened but never used—then tossed in the trash.
“Very few people know how to create a procedure card, and you end up having a lot of waste because you may or may not use exactly what your mentor had,” Shah says. She likens the items listed on the procedure card to junk in your house that needs to be cleaned up.
Take laparoscopic appendectomies, for example. About 300,000 are performed each year in the U.S., and many are simple cases that don’t require expensive disposable tools. Still, items like staplers are routinely opened and immediately thrown out if unused. This costs hospitals an estimated $200 million a year and creates mountains of waste, including plastics and metals that must be incinerated.
The fix? Simple changes like updating procedure cards and only opening tools if they’re actually needed. It’s a low-effort solution with big rewards—for budgets and for the planet.
Rethinking surgical caps
Another surprising source of medical waste: surgical caps. For years, many hospitals required disposable caps made from spun plastic, believing they were safer than reusable cloth ones, even though research shows disposable caps have no advantage in reducing OR infection over cotton ones.
And the environmental cost is huge. With more than 20 million surgeries performed each year, and at least six staff members per operation, that adds up to over 130 million disposable caps. Most end up in landfills, leaching harmful chemicals into the ground and water.
Reusable cloth caps, on the other hand, can cut down carbon emissions by nearly 80%. Yes, they use more water during production, but over time, their environmental impact is much lower—and they save hospitals money, too. Plus, washing them locally (for instance, at Rush’s laundry partner, Fillmore Linen Service on Chicago’s West Side) keeps the entire process community-centered.
Giving medical devices a second life
Shah is already seeing results from these greener practices. One standout initiative involves pulse oximeter probes—small devices that measure oxygen levels in the blood. Normally single-use, these probes (along with other devices like tourniquet cuffs and trocars) are now collected and sent to be cleaned, sterilized, and reprocessed.
In 2023 alone, Rush kept 24,000 pounds of medical waste out of landfills through this program. Nearly 140,000 devices were reprocessed, saving the hospital more than $400,000.
A healthier future
These changes may seem small in isolation, but the cumulative impact is profound. Hospitals are among the most resource-intensive institutions in society. By rethinking the routine and questioning outdated norms, even minor shifts can yield major gains for our planet.
This is not just about cutting costs. It is about aligning health care with the broader mission of healing—patients, communities, and now, the Earth. Shah’s work shows that we do not have to choose between excellent care and environmental responsibility. With intention and follow-through, we can have both.
That is the kind of surgery we can all feel better about.
Citation:
Greener surgeries, healthier planet (2025, April 23)
retrieved 23 April 2025
from https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-04-greener-surgeries-healthier-planet.html
This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no
part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.
