Environmental sustainability assessment of a single-use, battery-powered laparoscopic surgical stapler

Surgical procedures are resource-intensive and require sophisticated devices and equipment, stringent sterilization and disinfection protocols, considerable amounts of consumables and advanced operative technologies. These features collectively result in the generation of medical waste and healthcare-related emissions. While minimally invasive surgery offers patient-centred benefits such as reduced postoperative length of stay, it presents circularity challenges due to its reliance on single-use devices, as well as regulatory constraints on medical waste management. The growing demand for minimally invasive surgery has led to an increased use of devices like single-use surgical staplers. The most common end-of-life (EOL) treatment for single-use surgical staplers is incineration, due to safety concerns and regulatory restrictions. Therefore, evaluating the environmental impact of alternative waste management options (such as recycling) for these devices has become more crucial. This study evaluates the environmental impacts of a single-use, battery-powered surgical stapler. Hotspots are identified and the benefits of shifting from incineration with energy recovery to recycling after disinfection and sterilization are assessed. A life cycle assessment was conducted using the Environmental Footprint method, covering the entire life cycle. Four midpoint impact categories, climate change, freshwater ecotoxicity, fossil resource use, and mineral and metal resource use, along with a single score were analysed. The results show that the supply and manufacturing of components dominate the four impact categories and the single score, largely due to the supply of electronic components. EOL burdens are higher for incineration than for recycling, except for fossil resource use. Disinfection and sterilization are the main contributors to the recycling burden. For recycling to be more viable in terms of environmental sustainability, strategies should focus on device design to increase recyclability, improve recycling technologies, and make sterilization more efficient.