P1115MEDICAL WASTE MANAGEMENT - HOW INDUSTRY CAN HELP US TO PROTECT ENVIRONMENT AND MONEY

Abstract

Abstract Background and Aims The global climate change and its consequences force us to remodel our processes and rethink current model of providing the HD treatments. One of the crucial point, which have massive impact on the environment and the economy is the waste management. Every HD session produces above 1 kg of medical waste, which should be properly stored and destroyed. Well thought out processes and our choices can improve dialysis unit budget as well as decrease CO2 emission produced during the waste incineration. The aim of the study was was assessment of weight the different dialysers used during HD treatments and consequences of choice different types of filters. Method The weight of dialyser is the most crucial component of the medical waste produced during dialysis session. The authors checked the weight of different dialysers regularly used in dialysis centers in Poland. The Kern CM 320-IN scale was used for the measurement. The measurement accuracy was 0,1 g. Also the filling volume of each dialyser has been taken into consideration. Results The dialysers were divided into four groups depending on the surface. 1,4m2 in group one, 1,5-1,6m2 in group two, 1.7-1,8m2 in group three and finally 2,0-2,2m2 in the group four. FX class dialysers were lightest in every group. The heaviest ones were Polyflux dialysers. Difference between the lightest and heaviest dialysers was about 95 g. Also the filling volume was lowest in FX class dialysers and the highest in case of Elisio dialysers. The difference was 20 ml. Conclusion The weight of different dialysis sets available on the market significantly differs. The decision-makers should take into account this fact as the additional quality feature. In extreme cases the weight difference reaches 95 g. In yearly perspective, the usage of the lighter dialysis set can cause the 17 millions kilograms decrease of medical waste and significant savings. On the other hand modern HD machines like Fresenius 6008 machine, due to the dialysis set emptying function additionally decrease the mass of the medical waste about 150 g per one HD session, independently on the dialyser used.