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Kern and Ahmed – The Green Cath Lab: What Is It? Why Does It Matter and Can We Achieve It?
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Any views and opinions expressed are those of the author(s) and/or participants and do not necessarily reflect the views, policy, or position of EP Lab Digest or HMP Global, their employees, and affiliates.
In his November 2023 Clinical Editor's Corner, Dr. Kern writes:
"Like many others, I am troubled by future visions of a hot planet, uninhabitable for my children and grandchildren. All citizens of our world should be concerned. But the most troubling aspect of such a problem is, what can we do about it? How can the trajectory of climate change be modified? Are the local actions of changing our cath lab operations really going to affect the outcomes? I struggle with the question: “Will my local actions really have a global effect?” Despite no simple answer, I believe we should continue our efforts and try to make a change rather than ignoring the issue.
"Leaving philosophy aside, I read an interesting opinion paper in JACC Intervention last month entitled, “Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory Sustainability: What it Is and Why it Matters” by Alasnag et al.1"
Listen in to Dr. Morton Kern's discussion on "The Green Cath Lab" with one of the cath lab sustainability article authors, Bina Ahmed, MD, Cottage Hospital, Santa Barbara, California.
Read more from Dr. Bina Ahmed in CLD in her article PCI and the Planet
Discussion Summary
Edited by: Rebecca Kapur
This is a discussion between Dr. Morton Kern, the clinical editor of Cath Lab Digest, and Dr. Bina Ahmed from Santa Barbara, California, on the topic of sustainability, particularly focusing on the idea of a green cath lab. The conversation came in response to an article Dr. Ahmed co-authored, which was published in JACC Interventions, entitled "Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory Sustainability: What is it, and Why Does it Matter?"
The discussion emphasizes the fact that healthcare, specifically cath labs, have a significant carbon footprint. Dr. Kern and Dr. Ahmed delve into the idea of a carbon footprint as the toxic output of human existence, with carbon dioxide being a major contributor. Hospital systems, they argue, have an enormous footprint due to the energy it takes to run them and the waste generated through providing care.
Specifically regarding cath labs, they mentioned that there is a lot of waste generated from unused and expired products which often find their way into landfills instead of being used effectively or recycled. The front-line professionals, like nurses and fellows, can often see this waste on a daily basis.
Dr. Ahmed suggests the idea of developing a sustainability team within the lab to define current practice and identify points of improvement for sustainability. She believes that there are often simple changes that can be made immediately which, if adopted widely, could have a significant impact on the carbon footprint of these labs.
There's a clear call to action for medical societies to take sustainability as a serious quality metric and work towards reducing the environmental impact of healthcare. Dr. Kern and Dr. Ahmed agree that any initiatives to be more efficient and lessen wastefulness could lead to significant financial benefits for the healthcare systems in the long term. Thus, the discussion propagates the concept of a 'green cath lab' as an achievable and necessary goal for improved patient care and a healthier planet.
Find More:
Grand Rounds With Morton Kern, MD
Read more from Dr. Bina Ahmed in CLD in her article PCI and the Planet
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