A reusable stitch in time saves nine? U.K. hospital sterilizing suture kits to reduce waste – CBC

Pilot program is aimed at reducing health care’s often-overlooked carbon footprint

Jul 23, 2023

It’s almost second nature for doctors to toss aside a suture kit once they’ve patched up a patient. But as those instruments join a pile of medical waste in an industry already heavy with single-use items, one U.K. centre is pivoting to reusing them.

The Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton is one of the first emergency departments in the U.K. to pilot using reusable suture instruments to better the service’s carbon footprint.

“We cannot talk about planetary health without embedding certain principles into everything that we do — and health care is no exception,” said Dr. Mahmood Bhutta, the clinical green lead at University Hospitals Sussex who instigated the project.

The pilot program, which started in January, removes from rotation single-use suture kits designed for stitching wounds. These kits — comprised of scissors, needle holds and forceps — are usually put into a sharps bin immediately after use and incinerated.

Read more: https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/reusable-medical-devices-1.6913761