The Operating Theatre Journal - Flipbook - Page 23
The Process
Project Outcomes
October – November 2021
• 4,000kg waste reduction achieved annually in support of the Net
Zero strategy.
• The trust reached out to the supplier to discuss options for
switching to reusable medical hollowware.
• Key stakeholders were identi昀椀ed within the trust to support the
project.
• The supplier presented the bene昀椀ts of reusable materials to the
trust alongside providing a list of product options and samples for
the CSSD, and theatres department, to review.
• The waste management department con昀椀rmed the disposal cost of
single-use medical hollowware.
December 2021 – January 2022
• The trust agreed to trial several different reusable product options
to calculate product requirements, cost, washer capacity and
workload to determine whether a switch would be feasible and
昀椀nancially bene昀椀cial.
• The CSSD presented the 昀椀nancial and environmental savings
(calculated during the trial period) to the trusts board who
approved the switch to reusable medical hollowware, alongside
commending the CSSD team for the initiative.
February – April 2022
• The trust placed an order with NHS Supply Chain, for reusable
medical hollowware, to replace its single-use items.
• Technicians from the CSSD were trained on reprocessing of the
additional reusable items.
• The switch to reusable medical hollowware was implemented at
Harlow hospital.
• 65,000 single-use items no longer being used and disposed of
annually (2,720 reusable products are used instead which last a
minimum of 2 years or 1,000 washes). See our Useful Links section
to refer to the product breakdown.
• £10,000 cost saving annually – following an initial one-off cost of
£6,000 for reusable products and racking.
• The project was presented at the Institute of Decontamination
Sciences Conference with the Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust
highlighted as an example to the industry that switching to reusable
medical hollowware is achievable and bene昀椀cial.
• Additional items have since been identi昀椀ed, and switched to,
further reducing the trusts carbon emissions.
For further information regarding the products available via the NHS
Supply Chain framework, please view the Medical Hollowware Contract
Information Page. See our Useful Links section.
To discuss switching options in further detail, please speak to your
dedicated Customer Relationship Manager.
Useful Links
• NHS England’s Net Zero Strategy
Read more about the strategy here.
• Customer Relationship Management
Find their contact details here.
July 2022
• The project was deemed successful, following a six-month review,
with savings already reported in the CSSD department.
• Medical Hollowware Contract Information Page
The framework agreement for the supply of Medical Hollowware.
New Smart Solutions Could Replace Current
Infection Testing
New technology could pave the way to a future of rapid testing in hospitals and at home for both covid and urinary tract infection. It could also
be used to keep track of blood sugar levels during operations and wireless monitoring of various bacterial infections.
In her research, Electrochemical (bio)sensors operating in human physiological 昀氀uids, Carolin Psotta details how electrochemical biosensors can
detect, predominantly, bacteria and viruses in human 昀氀uids, such as blood, urine, plasma, and saliva.
“My hope is that thanks to these biosensors we can make the tests we use today – which can take several days – easier and more ef昀椀cient, both
for private individuals and healthcare systems,” she says, adding: the samples were tested under homeostatic conditions, which means that
properties during the measurement are tried to keep the same as inside the body. The enzyme on the sensor converts the glucose in the blood
and prompts a reaction that the sensor registers.
“There are different types of biosensors; the fact that it is electrochemical means that an electrode on the surface picks up biochemical events
from its surroundings.”
As part of her project, she has developed four types of sensors that can be used for different purposes. The 昀椀rst can detect covid and for it Psotta
used existing studies that show that the composition of the saliva changes after a covid infection. She used a technology called the ‘electronic
tongue’ for her sensor which is made up of six different metals, each of which give different signals, and show if the saliva comes from an
individual with covid.
Another of her sensors can monitor blood glucose levels. It is an enzyme-based biosensor which was tested on human plasma and undiluted blood:
“The sensor can, for example, be used in an operating theatre to monitor the patient’s blood sugar level, which often varies when the body has
a stress reaction.”
Psotta‘s third sensor can detect urinary tract infections (UTIs). This biosensor was developed to detect elevated levels of e. Coli bacteria in urine.
It can also transmit information wirelessly to, for example, a smart device. “One area of use could be putting the sensor in a diaper where there
is an increased risk of a UTI. The healthcare staff can then monitor the levels and detect the bacteria early.”
The fourth sensor can identify three different types of bacterial based on metabolic changes in arti昀椀cial urine. Here, too, the electronic tongue
technology is applied to distinguish bacteria free from bacteria infected arti昀椀cial urine.
“By seeing which molecules are either present or missing in the urine, we also know which bacteria are active there.” Psotta now hopes that her
research will lead to clinical trials so that the biosensors can be further developed and eventually reach the market.
Source: Eurasia Review
Find out more 02921 680068 • e-mail admin@lawrand.com
Issue 397
October
2023
23