Sustainable ultrasound
Why sustainable ultrasound matters
Ultrasound generates significant environmental impacts, when consumables and equipment life cycles are taken into consideration. Chris Taylor, UK & Ireland Sustainability Lead, at Philips Healthcare, provides an insight into the actions that ultrasound teams can take to help drive improvement.
Climate change is the defining health challenge of the 21st century. The World Health Organization warns that from 2030–2050, climate-related events such as heat stress, malnutrition and infectious disease expansion, could result in an additional 250,000 deaths annually,1
putting extra burden on already
stretched healthcare systems, with a predicted 4.2 million premature deaths, globally per year, due to ambient air pollution.2
Healthcare is,
paradoxically both the protector of human health and the contributor to this threat, accounting for 4.4% of all global greenhouse gas emissions,3 aviation.
Within imaging, CT and MRI have long
dominated discussions around energy intensity. However, ultrasound – widely used, portable, and cost-effective – also generates significant environmental impacts, when consumables and equipment life cycles are also considered. More than 1.4 million ultrasound systems are installed globally,4
with tens of millions of
scans performed each year. Even if per-scan emissions are relatively modest, the cumulative footprint is substantial.
As the NHS sets out its 10-year health plan focused on prevention, digitalisation, and sustainability, ultrasound offers a unique test case: how can we harness this low-energy modality, while ensuring its supplies, equipment, and data practices are aligned with Net Zero ambitions.
Refurbished systems Refurbished ultrasound systems offer carbon savings by reusing up to 80%5
of existing
components. This avoids emissions associated with new manufacturing, conserves scarce raw materials use, and reduces electronic waste. Which ultimately equates to a CO2
saving per
device, when compared with a new equivalent. Yet within the industry, certainly within the UK and Ireland, we still see a reluctance to take up these circular systems, that are of the same as new quality, with same support and warranty,
which is more than shipping or
with a much lower carbon footprint. For hospitals, refurbished/circular systems
also represent a significant cost-effective pathway, to scale up imaging capacity, with an average price saving of 25%6 similar new systems.
lower compared to
Modular upgrades (technology maximiser) Technology evolves faster than procurement cycles. Services such as modular upgrade programmes, allow hospitals to receive structured updates to software, cybersecurity patches, transducer compatibility, and workflow enhancement. Extending equipment lifespan is an easy first win. This eliminates the need for more raw materials to be extracted. By avoiding repeated capital expenditure, the NHS can not only save money, but also carbon. Installing the latest hardware and software upgrades bring about potential energy and material savings. Also, with the increased use of remotely deliverable software updates, we will see savings in travel for supplier’s service
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support functions, as well as reduced downtime of ultrasound equipment. Ensuring access to the latest clinical applications, without the need for a full system replacement, ensures staff continue to keep at the forefront of technology, by using the very latest diagnostic tools and equipment. With the ever-increasing threat of cybersecurity attacks, there is a requirement to ensure an ever-increasing resilience against the loss of services, due to malicious software and criminal activities. With faster, secure remote connections, suppliers can ensure systems are hardened to any threats as quickly as needed. Together, refurbishment and modular upgrades demonstrate a clear “circular economy” in action – keeping systems in use longer, extracting maximum value, and avoiding unnecessary carbon emissions.
Tackling consumables — the biggest opportunity Gloves: Gloves represent a large disposable contributor to both waste and CO2
emissions.
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