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Zygourakis CC, Yoon S, Valencia V, Boscardin C, Moriates C, Gonzales R, Lawton MT. “Operating room waste: disposable supply utilization in neurosurgical procedures,” J Neurosurg, 2017 Feb; 126(2): 620-625.

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Article

Orthopedic Surgery Environmental Sustainability Recommendations: A Literature Review

1Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine, Middletown NY

2Valley Consortium for Medical Education, Modesto, CA

3Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, Philadelphia, PA

4Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN

5Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine, Fort Worth, TX

6IMG-DR Universidad Tecnológica de Santiago, Santiago, Dominican Republic

7SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, NY


American Journal of Clinical Medicine Research. 2025, Vol. 13 No. 1, 13-17
DOI: 10.12691/ajcmr-13-1-3
Copyright © 2025 Science and Education Publishing

Cite this paper:
Alyssa Cevetello BS, Janae Rasmussen DO, Noamaan Farooqui MS, Mohammed Ghazali BS, Michael Critelli MS, Claudia Polanco MD, Angelique Dabel MS. Orthopedic Surgery Environmental Sustainability Recommendations: A Literature Review. American Journal of Clinical Medicine Research. 2025; 13(1):13-17. doi: 10.12691/ajcmr-13-1-3.

Correspondence to: Janae  Rasmussen DO, Valley Consortium for Medical Education, Modesto, CA. Email: janaeleilani@gmail.com

Abstract

Environmental sustainability is a topic that continues to grow in importance throughout the world as climate change continues to progress. It has been noted that healthcare, in particular, is a great contributor to climate change due to the immense amount of materials utilized and energy consumed on a daily basis. The materials and energy consumption in hospitals, mostly due to the operating room and critical care management of patients, have implications on the environment. The demanding nature of orthopedics inevitably leads to a detrimental amount of waste, leading to unfavorable environmental impacts. These negative outcomes on the environment ultimately lead to public health concerns due to pollutants in both the air and soil. To limit the progression of climate change and decrease public health concerns, it is necessary for waste in orthopedic surgery to be reviewed. Recent studies within orthopedics have explored methods to improve environmental impacts. There have been studies conducted trialing various methods to become more environmentally adept while maintaining quality health care. Outcomes of these studies are reviewed in this paper with the goal to use evidence-based medicine to benefit public health. This literature review carries a more narrow focus as it examines recommendations to decrease waste in orthopedic surgery.

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