Print Email Facebook Twitter Circular material flow in the intensive care unit—environmental effects and identification of hotspots Title Circular material flow in the intensive care unit—environmental effects and identification of hotspots Author Hunfeld, Nicole (Erasmus MC) Diehl, J.C. (TU Delft Design for Sustainability) Timmermann, Maarten (Erasmus MC) van Exter, Pieter (Metabolic Institute, Amsterdam) Bouwens, Joris (Metabolic Institute, Amsterdam) Browne-Wilkinson, Savanna (Metabolic Institute, Amsterdam) de Planque, Nine (Erasmus MC) Gommers, D.A.M.P.J. (Erasmus MC) Date 2022 Abstract Purpose: The healthcare sector is responsible for 6–7% of CO2 emissions. The intensive care unit (ICU) contributes to these CO2 emissions and a shift from a linear system to a circular system is needed. The aim of our research was to perform a material flow analysis (MFA) in an academic ICU. Secondary aims were to obtain information and numbers on mass, carbon footprint, agricultural land occupation and water usage and to determine so-called “environmental hotspots” in the ICU. Methods: A material flow analysis was performed over the year 2019, followed by an environmental footprint analysis of materials and environmental hotspot identification. Results: 2839 patients were admitted to our ICU in 2019. The average length of stay was 4.6 days. Our MFA showed a material mass inflow of 247,000 kg in 2019 for intensive care, of which 50,000 kg is incinerated as (hazardous) hospital waste. The environmental impact per patient resulted in 17 kg of mass, 12 kg CO2 eq, 300 L of water usage and 4 m2 of agricultural land occupation per day. Five hotspots were identified: non-sterile gloves, isolation gowns, bed liners, surgical masks and syringes (including packaging). Conclusion: This is the first material flow analysis that identified environmental risks and its magnitude in the intensive care unit. Subject Circular economyEnvironmental hotspotsIntensive care unitMaterial flow analysisSustainability To reference this document use: http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:ebbfd086-fef1-4ee6-a19e-45f1a3240db3 DOI https://doi.org/10.1007/s00134-022-06940-6 ISSN 0342-4642 Source Intensive Care Medicine, 49 (1), 65-74 Part of collection Institutional Repository Document type journal article Rights © 2022 Nicole Hunfeld, J.C. Diehl, Maarten Timmermann, Pieter van Exter, Joris Bouwens, Savanna Browne-Wilkinson, Nine de Planque, D.A.M.P.J. Gommers Files PDF s00134_022_06940_6.pdf 1.8 MB Close viewer /islandora/object/uuid:ebbfd086-fef1-4ee6-a19e-45f1a3240db3/datastream/OBJ/view