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CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 · Journal of Gastrointestinal Infections 2022; 12(01): 011-017
DOI: 10.1055/s-0042-1757186
Review Article

Review: Disposable Duodenoscopes in the Era of Climate Change—A Global Perspective

Harish Darak   *
1   Department of Gastroenterology, Seth GS Medical College and King Edward Memorial Hospital, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
,
Suprabhat Giri    *
2   Department of Gastroenterology, Nizam's Institute of Medical Sciences, Hyderabad, Telangana, India
,
Sridhar Sundaram
3   Department of Digestive Diseases and Clinical Nutrition, Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
› Author Affiliations Funding None.
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Abstract

Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography remains a major interventional procedure in gastroenterology clinical practice. There have been concerns of hospital related infections secondary to the reusable duodenoscopes despite optimal strategies for high-level disinfection. While there are have been potential changes in duodenoscope design with availability of disposable caps, the increased risk of infection has led to the advent of single-use duodenoscopes in clinical practice. This innovation may help reduce infections due to duodenoscope reprocessing, while ensuring optimal performance similar to reusable duodenoscopes. However, their impact on the environment and overall carbon footprint has not been discussed. Moreover, disposable duodenoscopes are costly equipments. In developing countries with low income and poor insurance coverage, the clinical utility of this equipment is yet to be ascertained. With major push for Go-Green initiatives by various governments, there has to be clarity on not just use but also disposal and recycling of disposable duodenoscopes. In this narrative review, we discuss the role of disposable duodenoscopes in clinical practice in this era of climate change from the Indian perspective.

Keywords

climate change - environment - equipment reuse - New Delhi metallo-betalactamase - sustainability

Ethical Statement

Not applicable.


Author Contributions

H.D. and S.G. performed the literature review and drafted the manuscript. S.S. provided critical inputs and edited the final draft of the manuscript.


Data Availability Statement

There is no data associated with this work.


* Co-first authors.




Publication History

Received: 17 January 2022

Accepted: 21 February 2022

Article published online:
22 September 2023

© 2022. Gastroinstestinal Infection Society of India. This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commercial purposes, or adapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)

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