Orthopedic Surgery Environmental Sustainability Recommendations: A Literature Review

Alyssa Cevetello BS¹, Janae Rasmussen DO^2, , Noamaan Farooqui MS³, Mohammed Ghazali BS⁴, Michael Critelli MS⁵, Claudia Polanco MD⁶ and Angelique Dabel MS⁷

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

Cite this paper:
Alyssa Cevetello BS, Janae Rasmussen DO, Noamaan Farooqui MS, Mohammed Ghazali BS, Michael Critelli MS, Claudia Polanco MD and 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

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.

Keywords:
orthopedic surgery sustainability waste conservation surgical waste carbon footprint

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