Life Cycle Assessment of Single-Use and Multiple-Use Endoscopes: A Literature Review

To ensure healthcare is environmentally sustainable for future generations, it is crucial to analyze the environmental impact of medical activities. With the rise of single-use medical devices, there is a growing need to compare their environmental footprint with that of conventional multiple-use solutions. This study aimed to review existing literature on the life cycle assessment (LCA) of single-use and multiple-use endoscopes, focusing on how system boundaries, goals, and scopes are defined, as well as identifying environmental impacts and hotspots. A literature review was conducted using the PRISMA framework, with searches performed on the Web of Science, Scopus, and PubMed. A multi-stage screening process resulted in the selection of 12 studies for detailed review. The analysis revealed a significant lack of comprehensive, comparative LCA studies that evaluate the environmental trade-offs between these two endoscope types across their entire lifecycles. Many existing studies focus only on specific life cycle stages, making comparison between results impossible. This review highlights the need for more holistic, cradle-to-grave analyses to inform more sustainable healthcare decisions.