ArticleAnnals of the Royal College of Surgeons of England2024
Handling 'carbon footprint' in orthopaedics.
Article in Annals of the Royal College of Surgeons of England, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT07657039 (USE LESS, a Comparative Cohort Study of Climate Change Impact From Orthopedic Surgery.), which is not on this map. Cited by 8 papers.
What it found
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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.
USE LESS, a Comparative Cohort Study of Climate Change Impact From Orthopedic Surgery.
Who cites it
8 citing papers in PubMed.
- Sustainable Healthcare: A Perspective on the Current Landscape, Frameworks, Barriers, and Implementation Model in a Quaternary Hospital System.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2026Review
- Theatre-Based Carbon Footprint of Five Common Orthopaedic Trauma Procedures: A Single-Centre Comparative Analysis.Cureus · 2026Article
- Multipack Versus Single-Sterile Implant Supply in Spine Surgery: A Hospital-Based Health Technology Assessment.Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2026Article
- Evaluating the impact of reusable gowns on postoperative infection rates in hand surgery.Surgery in practice and science · 2026Article
- Contribution of hospitals and clinical services to global warming: a scoping systematic review.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
- Quantifying the environmental and economic impact of telephone follow-up in hand surgery: A single surgeon's experience.Journal of hand and microsurgery · 2025Article
- Green Surgery and Sustainability in Orthopaedic Operating Rooms: A Comprehensive Review of Environmental Initiatives.Cureus · 2025Review
- Lost in Green Transformation Comment on "A Review of the Applicability of Current Green Practices in Healthcare Facilities".International journal of health policy and management · 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
8 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
introductionThe National Health Service contributes 4%-5% of England and Wales' greenhouse gases and a quarter of all public sector waste. Between 20% and 33% of healthcare waste originates from a hospital's operating room, and up to 90% of waste is sent for costly and unneeded hazardous waste processing. The goal of this study was to quantify the amount and type of waste produced during a selection of common trauma and elective orthopaedic operations, and to calculate the carbon footprint of processing the waste.
methodsWaste generated for both elective and trauma procedures was separated primarily into clean and contaminated, paper or plastic, and then weighed. The annual carbon footprint for each operation at each site was subsequently calculated.
resultsElective procedures can generate up to 16.5kg of plastic waste per procedure. Practices such as double-draping the patient contribute to increasing the quantity of waste. Over the procedures analysed, the mean total plastic waste at the hospital sites varied from 6 to 12kg. One hospital site undertook a pilot of switching disposable gowns for reusable ones with a subsequent reduction of 66% in the carbon footprint and a cost saving of £13,483.89.
conclusionsThis study sheds new light on the environmental impact of waste produced during trauma and elective orthopaedic procedures. Mitigating the environmental impact of the operating room requires a collective drive for a culture change to sustainability and social responsibility. Each clinician can have an impact upon the carbon footprint of their operating theatre.
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