ReviewChirurgie (Heidelberg, Germany)2022
[Climate change: how surgery contributes to global warming].
Review in Chirurgie (Heidelberg, Germany), 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
7 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Waste Management and the Perspective of a Green Hospital-A Systematic Narrative Review.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Pooled it
- [Sustainability in urology: from vision to implementation : Results from a member survey conducted by the German Society of Urology].Urologie (Heidelberg, Germany) · 2026Article
- The Carbon Footprint of a Cesarean Section: A Study on Real-Time, Prospectively Collected Data of Disposables, Energy, and Reusables.The journal of obstetrics and gynaecology research · 2026Observational
- [Resource-efficient use of single-use surgical textiles : A data-driven analysis of 213,000 surgeries from 2022].Urologie (Heidelberg, Germany) · 2025Review
- [Sustainability in private surgical practice-A narrative review].Chirurgie (Heidelberg, Germany) · 2023Review
- [Resource conservation from the perspective of infection prevention].Chirurgie (Heidelberg, Germany) · 2023Review
- The global surgical triple goal: Surgery must improve health, be equitable, and environmentally sustainable.The journal of climate change and healthArticle
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundSurgery as an important part of the healthcare sector contributes to environmental pollution and therefore to the climate crisis. The aim of this review is to create an overview of the current data situation and possibilities for improvement.
methodsA literature search was performed in PubMed/MEDLINE using the following five terms: "carbon footprint and surgery", "climate change and surgery", "waste and surgery" and "greening the operating room" focusing on energy, waste, water and anesthesia.
resultsThe greatest part of emissions in surgery is generated by the use of energy. The operating rooms (OR) need 3-6 times more energy than the other hospital rooms. Of the total hospital waste 20-30% is produced during operations, which is particularly due to the increasing use of disposable articles and 50-90% of waste classified as hazardous is incorrectly sorted. The disposal of this waste is not only more environmentally harmful but also much more expensive. The processing of surgical items by autoclaving consumes large amounts of water. Modern sterilization methods, for example using plasma could be future alternatives. Up to 20% of volatile nonmetabolized anesthetic agents are vented into the stratosphere and destroy the ozone layer. Intravenous anesthetic drugs should be used whenever possible instead. The choice of operating method can also contribute to the environmental impact of an operation.
conclusionThe surgical disciplines are a relevant producer of environmental pollutants. Through diverse interdisciplinary approaches surgery can also contribute to protecting the environment.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.