ArticleBone & joint open2022
Environmental sustainability in orthopaedic surgery : a scoping review.
Article in Bone & joint open, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 30 papers, 3 of them syntheses 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
30 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Implant waste and associated costs in trauma and orthopaedic surgery: a systematic review.International orthopaedics · 2025Pooled it
- Decarbonizing surgical care: a qualitative systematic review guided by the Congruence Model.BMC health services research · 2024Pooled it
- Reliability of artificial intelligence in predicting total knee arthroplasty component sizes: a systematic review.European journal of orthopaedic surgery & traumatology : orthopedie traumatologie · 2024Pooled it
- Carbon footprint reduction in shoulder surgery by the rationalisation of single-use convenience packs.Shoulder & elbow · 2026Article
- The rise of green orthopaedics: a bibliometric mapping and thematic evaluation of the global research landscape.International orthopaedics · 2026Article
- Pediatric Supracondylar Humerus Fracture Pinning: Are We Leaving Unnecessary Waste and Cost on the Table?Journal of the Pediatric Orthopaedic Society of North America · 2026Article
- Environmental sustainability evidence in critical care medicine: a scoping review.Canadian journal of anaesthesia = Journal canadien d'anesthesie · 2026Article
- The design process for orthopaedic implants : an introduction.Bone & joint research · 2026Article
- Article
- Robotic-assisted and AI-augmented arthroplasty: converging technologies in joint replacement.Journal of robotic surgery · 2026Review
- Three-Dimensional Hands-on Total Hip Arthroplasty Simulation After Surgically Treated Acetabular Fractures: A Technical Note on 8 Cases.Arthroplasty today · 2026Article
- Waste Generation in Pediatric Orthopaedic Hardware Removal Surgery.Journal of the Pediatric Orthopaedic Society of North America · 2026Article
- Article
- Article
- Quantifying the environmental and economic impact of telephone follow-up in hand surgery: A single surgeon's experience.Journal of hand and microsurgery · 2025Article
- High Variability in Arthroscopic Fluid Use Among Surgeons and Joints for Common Orthopaedic Procedures.Arthroscopy, sports medicine, and rehabilitation · 2025Article
- Waste in orthopaedic surgery; an application of the healthcare sustainability mode and effect analysis.International orthopaedics · 2025Article
- Green Surgery and Sustainability in Orthopaedic Operating Rooms: A Comprehensive Review of Environmental Initiatives.Cureus · 2025Review
- Reducing surgical trays to cut both carbon emissions and costs in total knee arthroplasty.Acta orthopaedica · 2025Article
- Towards a sustainable future in traumatology and orthopaedic surgery. The contribution of « Société Internationale de Chirurgie Orthopédique et Traumatologique » (SICOT).International orthopaedics · 2025Article
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
aimsIn the UK, the NHS generates an estimated 25 megatonnes of carbon dioxide equivalents (4% to 5% of the nation's total carbon emissions) and produces over 500,000 tonnes of waste annually. There is limited evidence demonstrating the principles of sustainability and its benefits within orthopaedic surgery. The primary aim of this study was to analyze the environmental impact of orthopaedic surgery and the environmentally sustainable initiatives undertaken to address this. The secondary aim of this study was to describe the barriers to making sustainable changes within orthopaedic surgery.
methodsA literature search was performed according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines through EMBASE, Medline, and PubMed libraries using two domains of terms: "orthopaedic surgery" and "environmental sustainability".
resultsA total of 13 studies were included in the final analysis. All papers studied the environmental impact of orthopaedic surgery in one of three areas: waste management, resource consumption, and carbon emissions. Waste segregation was a prevalent issue and described by nine studies, with up to 74.4% of hazardous waste being generated. Of this, six studies reported recycling waste and up to 43.9% of waste per procedure was recyclable. Large joint arthroplasties generated the highest amount of recyclable waste per procedure. Three studies investigated carbon emissions from intraoperative consumables, sterilization methods, and through the use of telemedicine. One study investigated water wastage and demonstrated that simple changes to practice can reduce water consumption by up to 63%. The two most common barriers to implementing environmentally sustainable changes identified across the studies was a lack of appropriate infrastructure and lack of education and training.
conclusionEnvironmental sustainability in orthopaedic surgery is a growing area with a wide potential for meaningful change. Further research to cumulatively study the carbon footprint of orthopaedic surgery and the wider impact of environmentally sustainable changes is necessary.Cite this article:
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.