Carbon Footprint of Minor Foot and Ankle Surgery: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Climate change poses a substantial threat to human health, and operating rooms (ORs) have an outsized environmental impact. The Program for Research in Sustainable Medicine (PRiSM) designed a protocol for minor foot and ankle surgery intended to reduce waste, streamline instrument trays, and minimize laundry. We conducted a randomized controlled trial to compare the carbon footprint of procedures performed using the PRiSM protocol vs a traditional protocol.

Methods

Forty adult patients undergoing foreign body removal, hammertoe correction, toe amputation, hardware removal, mass excision, or gastrocnemius recession were randomized to the PRiSM or our "Traditional" protocol. The PRiSM protocol used a smaller instrument tray, fewer drapes and towels, and minimal posi

SUBMITTER: Parker EB 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10952996 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature