538 Life Cycle Analysis of a Single Use Laryngoscope – A Target to Reduce Operating Room Environmental Impact

Abstract

OBJECTIVES/GOALS: Health care accounts for an estimated 10% of U.S. greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Concerted efforts to decrease waste are needed including critical appraisal of single use items. The purpose of this study was to conduct life cycle analyses (LCA) of a pediatric single use laryngoscope to inform environmental impact and identify targets to reduce waste. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: LCA was used to quantify the environmental impact of a single use pediatric laryngoscope. LCA is an industry standard measure of energy consumption, water consumption, and GHG emissions encompassing a “cradle-to-grave” assessment. The GREET model (Greenhouse gases, Regulated Emissions and Energy use in Technologies) and Open LCA model were used as sources for product/raw material data. Separate analysis was completed for the battery powering the light emitting diode (LED) lights. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: The LCA revealed 598.2 g of CO2 equivalents for the 121g single use pediatric laryngoscope. There were an estimated 26,849 cases that used single use laryngoscope last year at our free-standing children’s hospital resulting in 16.1 metric tons of CO2 equivalents. This is equivalent to 41,273 miles driven by an average gasoline powered vehicle. The 1.5 V battery was the highest contributor to the laryngoscope’s GHG emissions. While the battery has an estimated 2,800 hours of life, single use laryngoscopes are reported in the literature as being used for only an average of 30 seconds to 2 minutes. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE: Single use laryngoscopes are high contributors to GHGs. Specifically, the batteries contained in the laryngoscopes are wasteful and challenging to remove and recycle. Future efforts to decrease waste in the OR should target use of similar items that have reusable battery components to improve environmental sustainability.