Environmental Impact of Adult Tonsillectomy: Life Cycle Assessment and Cost Comparison of Techniques

Objectives To quantify and compare the cost and environmental impact of different techniques for adult tonsillectomy surgery, and to identify target areas for impact reduction. Methods Fifteen consecutive adult tonsillectomy surgeries were prospectively randomized to one of three tonsillectomy techn...

Ausführliche Beschreibung

Gespeichert in:
Bibliographische Detailangaben
Veröffentlicht in:The Laryngoscope 2024-02, Vol.134 (2), p.622-628
Hauptverfasser: Meiklejohn, Duncan A., Khan, Zafrul H., Nuñez, Karyn M., Imhof, Lee, Osmani, Sabah, Benavidez, Amaris C., Tarefder, Rafiqul
Format: Artikel
Sprache:eng
Schlagworte:
Online-Zugang:Volltext
Tags: Tag hinzufügen
Keine Tags, Fügen Sie den ersten Tag hinzu!
Beschreibung
Zusammenfassung:Objectives To quantify and compare the cost and environmental impact of different techniques for adult tonsillectomy surgery, and to identify target areas for impact reduction. Methods Fifteen consecutive adult tonsillectomy surgeries were prospectively randomized to one of three tonsillectomy techniques: cold, monopolar electrocautery, or low‐temperature radiofrequency ablation (Coblation). Life cycle assessment was used to comprehensively evaluate the environmental impact of study surgeries. Outcomes assessed included multiple measures of environmental impact, including greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and cost. Environmental impact measures were analyzed to identify highest‐yield areas for improvement, and outcomes were compared between surgical techniques using statistical analysis. Results GHG emissions for cold, monopolar electrocautery, and Coblation techniques were 157.6, 184.5, and 204.7 kilograms of carbon dioxide equivalents (kgCO2‐eq) per surgery, respectively, with costs totaling $472.51, $619.10, and $715.53 per surgery, respectively. Regardless of surgery technique, anesthesia medications and disposable equipment contributed most to environmental harm. Cold technique demonstrated reduced environmental impact related to disposable surgical equipment in the categories of greenhouse gas emissions, acidification of soil and water, eutrophication of air, ozone depletion, release of carcinogenic, and non‐carcinogenic toxic substances, and respiratory pollutant production (p 
ISSN:0023-852X
1531-4995
1531-4995
DOI:10.1002/lary.30866