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  • Crossing barriers: the burden of inflammatory bowel disease across Western Europe
    Publication . Kumar, Aditi; Yassin, Nuha; Marley, Alexandra; Bellato, Vittoria; Foppa, Caterina; Pellino, Gianluca; Myrelid, Pär; Millan, Monica; Gros, Beatriz; Avellaneda, Nicolas; Catalan-Serra, Ignacio; El-Hussuna, Alaa; Cunha Neves, João A.; Roseira, Joana; Cunha, Miguel F.; Verstockt, Bram; Bettenworth, Dominik; Mege, Diane; Brookes, Matthew J.
    An estimated 2.5-3 million individuals (0.4%) in Europe are affected by inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Whilst incidence rates for IBD are stabilising across Europe, the prevalence is rising and subsequently resulting in a significant cost to the healthcare system of an estimated 4.6-5.6 billion euros per year. Hospitalisation and surgical resection rates are generally on a downward trend, which is contrary to the rising cost of novel medication. This signifies a large part of healthcare cost and burden. Despite publicly funded healthcare systems in most European countries, there is still wide variation in how patients receive and/or pay for biologic medication. This review will provide an overview and discuss the different healthcare systems within Western Europe and the barriers that affect overall management of a changing IBD landscape, including differences to hospitalisation and surgical rates, access to medication and clinical trial participation and recruitment. This review will also discuss the importance of standardising IBD management to attain high-quality care for all patients with IBD.
  • Towards a greener endoscopy: considerations on the strategies to improve sustainability
    Publication . Neves, Joao; Roseira, Joana; Cunha, Miguel F.; Pellino, Gianluca; Sampietro, Gianluca M.; Rodríguez de Santiago, Enrique
    Climate crisis is dramatically changing life on earth. Environmental sustainability and waste management are rapidly gaining centrality in quality improvement strategies of healthcare, especially in procedure- dominant fields such as gastroenterology and digestive endoscopy. Therefore, healthcare interventions and endoscopic procedures must be evaluated through the ‘triple bottom line’ of financial, social, and environmental impact. The purpose of the paper is to provide information on the carbon footprint of gas- troenterology and digestive endoscopy and outline a set of measures that the sector can take to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases while improving patient outcomes. Scientific societies, hospital execu- tives, single endoscopic units can structure health policies and investment to build a “green endoscopy”. The AIGO study group reinforces the role of gastrointestinal endoscopy professionals as advocates of sus- tainability in digestive endoscopy. The “green endoscopy” can shape a more sustainable health service and lead to an equitable, climate-smart, and healthier future.
  • Green surgery: a systematic review of the environmental impact of laparotomy, laparoscopy, and robotics
    Publication . Cunha, Miguel F.; Neves, João Cunha; Roseira, Joana; Pellino, Gianluca; Castelo-Branco, Pedro
    Surgery is the most energy-intensive healthcare sector, but data on the environmental impact of abdominal surgical techniques are limited. This systematic review aims to identify the most sustainable approach among open, laparoscopic, and robotic surgeries. We searched MEDLINE, Cochrane, and Web of Science databases (inception to March 2024) for studies on the carbon footprint of abdominal surgery, focusing on carbon dioxide equivalents (CO2e) or CO2 emissions. The Joanna Briggs Institute checklist was used to assess bias. (PROSPERO: 298486). Of 2155 records, eight cohort studies were included, showing low to moderate risk of bias but high heterogeneity. Two studies on hysterectomy found robotic surgery had the highest carbon footprint (12.0-40.3 kgCO2e) compared to laparoscopic (10.7-29.2 kgCO2e) and open surgery (7.1-22.7 kgCO2e). Another study found laparoscopic prostatectomy produced more emissions than robotic surgery (59.7 vs. 47.3 kgCO2e) due to higher disposable devices, surgery time and length of stay. Single-use devices in laparoscopic cholecystectomy emitted more CO2e than hybrid devices (7.194 vs. 1.756 kgCO2e). CO2 used in minimally invasive surgery had negligible environmental effects (0.9 kgCO2e). Qualitative subgroup analyses revealed significant differences between surgery types and measurement methodologies, contributing to data heterogeneity. Minimally invasive surgeries often have higher carbon footprints due to disposable tools and waste. However, one study showed robotic surgery may reduce the overall environmental impact by shortening hospital stays. Due to methodological heterogeneity across studies, definitive conclusions remain limited. Standardized life-cycle assessment methodologies and inclusion of clinical outcomes in future studies are urgently needed to clarify the environmental sustainability of surgical practices.