Association between reusable anesthesia circuits and hospital waste reduction, cost savings, and environmental impact: A quality improvement study

Background

Anesthesia services are a major contributor to healthcare sector greenhouse gas emissions. Interventions aimed to reduce waste are necessary. Reusable anesthesia circuits offer a sustainable alternative to single-use circuits. Their adoption in the United States remains limited. The objective of this project was to evaluate the feasibility, cost-effectiveness, and environmental impact of using FDA-approved reusable anesthesia circuits.

Methods

Supported by the SMART QI framework, we evaluated the impact of switching to reusable circuits on elective electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) procedures. We measured waste generation, room preparation times, material costs, and projected system wide financial and greenhouse gas emissions impact. Greenhouse gas emissions were estimated using the Practice Greenhealth Scope 3 Emissions Accounting Tool. Descriptive statistics compared pre- and post-intervention outcomes, with statistical significance at p < 0.05.

Results

We compared 185 ECT procedures: 98 single-use from pre-intervention and 87 reusable circuits from post-intervention. Preparation times did not change. Daily waste from reusable circuits was significantly lower than single-use circuits (99.2 g vs. 357.2 g, p < 0.001). Cost analysis revealed 40 % reduction in median per-case expenditures with reusable circuits ($4.30 vs. $8.50 per patient, p < 0.001).Scope 3 greenhouse gas emissions per procedure decreased nearly 50 % (1.09 kgCO₂ vs. 2.57 kgCO₂, p < 0.001). Modeling of institutional-level data projected an annual cost savings of $108,860 and a reduction of 45,062.4 kgCO₂ if reusable circuits were implemented across all hospitals in the network.

Discussion

Reusable anesthesia circuits can significantly reduce hospital waste, lower costs, and decrease carbon emissions without compromising procedural efficiency.