Pedro López-Muñoz et al. Environmental footprint and material composition comparison
of single-use and reusable duodenoscopes
Infection outbreaks associated with contaminated reusable duodenoscopes (RUDs) have
led to the development of single-use duodenoscopes (SUDs). This study compared material
composition and life cycle assessment (LCA) between RUDs and SUDs. LCA demonstrated
sustainability of RUDs, with a life cycle carbon footprint 62–82 times lower than
the universal use of SUDs (152 vs. 10 512–12 640 kg CO2eq) and 10 times lower than
occasional use of SUDs (152 vs. 1417–1677 kg CO2eq). The authors concluded that the
use of SUDs for infection control should be balanced against environmental responsibility.
