Unused US Medical Supplies Could Support Hospitals Abroad

Major hospitals across the United States collectively throw away at least USD 15 million a year in unused operating room (OR) surgical supplies that could be salvaged and used to ease critical shortages, improve surgical care, and boost public health in developing countries.

Researchers at Johns Hopkins Hospital (JHH; Baltimore, MD, USA) based this estimate on data from an initiative known as Supporting Hospitals Abroad with Resources and Equipment (SHARE), which recovers and delivers unused surgical supplies from JHH to two surgical centers in Ecuador. The researchers tracked utilization of 19 high-demand surgical items donated to the Ecuadorian hospitals over three years, which included gauze, disposable syringes, sutures, and surgical towels. They then extrapolated the amount and value of the donations to 232 US surgical centers with caseloads similar to that of the JHH.

The results showed that if the 232 American hospitals saved and donated unused surgical supplies, they would generate materials worth at least USD 15 million annually. According to the report, the staggering waste of surgical supplies is rooted in the common practice of bundling surgical materials in ways that streamline OR readiness and efficiency, but once opened, everything in the bundle that is unused is thrown away. Donating unused material could thus also serve as a means of reducing the cost and environmental impact of medical waste disposal. The report was published online on October 16, 2014, in the World Journal of Surgery.

“Perfectly good, entirely sterile and, above all, much-needed surgical supplies are routinely discarded in American operating rooms,” said lead author Richard Redett, MD, a pediatric plastic and reconstructive surgeon at the JHH Children’s Center. “We hope the results of our study will be a wakeup call for hospitals and surgeons across the country to rectify this wasteful practice by developing systems that collect and ship unused materials to places that desperately need them.”

The researchers stressed that it is important to matching donor leftovers to recipient hospital, which will prevent unnecessary shipping costs and avoid creating medical waste locally. In addition, the receiving hospital must have a demonstrated capability and the equipment to clean and sterilize the shipped materials before use in the OR.

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