During spinal surgery, it is sometimes necessary to implant and then remove, or explant, instrumentation in the same procedure. Explantation occurs when an implanted plate or spacer does not fit, or implanted screws are too loose or too short. Explanted instrumentation cannot be reused and must be discarded, adding to…

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Perioperative staff and managers face a variety of pressures: improving processes, enhancing patient outcomes, documenting savings, meeting regulations, and more, all in a time of tighter budgets. With so much to balance, it can be difficult to consider (much less sell to upper management) the idea of greening the operating…

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There’s general agreement that keeping unused pharmaceuticals out of the nation’s water supply is a good idea. But figuring out how to comply with the tangle of regulations governing unused pharmaceuticals isn’t easy. How intensely your facility is involved in managing pharmaceutical waste likely depends on how active US Environmental…

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Depending on your facility’s type and pattern of use, one or more of your ORs likely is not being used a majority of the time. Yet for most facilities, the heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) system operates continuously, providing air exchanges, humidity, and temperature control as if the OR were…

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The OR generates more than 40% of a hospital's revenue and between 20% and 30% of its total waste volume, according to Practice Greenhealth, a nonprofit organization dedicated to environmental sustainability in health care. Given those numbers, it's no wonder that being environmentally friendly or "green" doesn't just benefit society—it…

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The Greening of the OR, a national effort to reduce surgery's big environmental footprint, was launched in May 2010 by Practice Greenhealth. The 2-year-old nonprofit, claiming 1,000 hospital members, sees the OR as a major target for making health care more sustainable. "ORs are the largest waste generators in the…

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Boulder Community Foothills Hospital, Boulder, Colorado, emphasizes sustainability. The hospital is flooded with natural light, which saves on utilities and provides respite for patients and staff. OR managers who participate in the design of new or renovated OR suites have an opportunity to promote a healthy environment. But can hospitals…

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