ASGE Postgraduate Course at ACG: Innovative Practices for the Endoscopist of Today, Tomorrow and Beyond | October 2023-12_De Latour

12_De Latour_ASGE PG Course Going Green Recording

Pdf Summary

Dr. Rabia de Latour’s presentation on "Sustainability in Endoscopy" addresses the substantial environmental impact of healthcare, specifically endoscopic procedures, and suggests interventions to mitigate this impact. <br /><br />**Key Points:**<br /><br />1. **Definitions**:<br />   - Distinctions between weather, climate change, global warming, and fossil fuels (coal, natural gas, oil).<br />   - Explanation of greenhouse gases (GHG) and the greenhouse effect.<br /><br />2. **Healthcare's Environmental Impact**:<br />   - The significant waste generated by US hospitals: 29 to 43 pounds per patient per day, contributing to GHG emissions.<br />   - The endoscopy sector alone performs 18 million procedures annually, generating immense waste and CO2 emissions equivalent to significant fossil fuel consumption.<br /><br />3. **Adverse Effects on Health**:<br />   - Climate change exacerbates health problems, compromising clean water access, increasing malnutrition, and spreading disease.<br /><br />4. **Endoscopy-Specific Waste**:<br />   - A 5-day study across two centers found each endoscopic procedure produces an average of 2.1 kg of waste, mostly non-recyclable.<br />   - This leads to an estimated 38,000 metric tons of annual waste from endoscopy in the US.<br /><br />5. **Emissions from Endoscopy**:<br />   - Each endoscopy generates 4.2 kg CO2 emissions due to waste disposal and energy use, with variations based on the type of procedure.<br /><br />6. **Interventions and Solutions**:<br />   - Large-scale initiatives include research, education, advocacy, and collaboration with industry to decarbonize health services.<br />   - Specific measures in endoscopy includes reduce, reuse, recycle strategies, telemedicine to cut travel emissions, and environmentally friendly procedures.<br />   - Promotion of plant-based diets and comprehensive reprocessing and donation of expired devices.<br /><br />Dr. de Latour emphasizes the necessity of systematic changes at the institutional level and within the endoscopy suite to reduce the carbon footprint and waste generation. The presentation concludes by encouraging continued education, communication, and advocacy to promote sustainability in healthcare.

Keywords

Sustainability

Endoscopy

Environmental Impact

Healthcare Waste

Greenhouse Gases

Climate Change

CO2 Emissions

Waste Reduction

Telemedicine

Plant-based Diets