Hospitals begin recycling single-use devices
Accreditation Connection, March 20, 2008
In an effort to cut down on cost and medical waste, some hospitals have begun reusing single-use devices such as scissors and scrubs, the Wall Street Journal reports.
Re-using single use tools is legal as long as Food and Drug Administration guidelines are met. The devices are shipped to reprocessing facilities for cleaning, sterilization and testing. Reprocessed devices can cost 40% to 60% less and cut out thousands of tons of waste.
However, some device makers say products created for single use aren't designed to hold up to sterilization chemicals and can still allow transmission of viral and bacterial infections.
A study by the University of Minnesota showed that new devices had little or no manufacturing debris, while a majority of reprocessed tools had corroded parts and traces of human remains.
Some device makers are lobbying in states for legislation that requires "informed consent" from a patient before using a recycled device. Utah has approved liability protections for re-used equipment makers if a preprocessed device fails and causes injury or death during a procedure.
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