How green is my reusable bronchoscope?

Single-use bronchoscopes have replaced reusable ones in many institutions. This study aimed to evaluate the environmental and financial impacts of both strategies: reusable and single-use bronchoscopes. We conducted a pragmatic study in a 21-bed polyvalent ICU, in Saint-Brieuc, Bretagne, France. The eco-audit consisted of estimating greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, considering the life cycle of each strategy. Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions related to construction, packaging, transport and waste elimination were compared between 2 devices: the reusable bronchoscope, a Pentax® FI-16RBS that was disinfected twice daily; and the single-use bronchoscope, the bronchoflex agile® from TSC. For the reusable bronchoscope, GHG emissions were marginally impacted by the number of bronchoscopies performed (from 185 kg eq.CO Considering current practice in our ICU, reusable bronchoscopes have lower GHG emissions when used more than 50 times a year and a lower cost when used more than 96 times a year as compared with single-use bronchoscopes.

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