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Background: To date, the literature surrounding healthcare sustainability has focused largely on operating rooms, energy efficiency and biohazardous waste management. Few studies have looked at the sustainability within intensive care units (ICUs)., Objective: Our study sought to capture the array of sustainability initiatives undertaken by Canadian ICUs and gain a better understanding of current practices with regard to the management of single-use equipment waste., Methods: We conducted a nationwide e-mail survey through the Canadian Critical Care Network., Results: We received responses from a total of 81 hospital sites representing all 10 Canadian provinces and approximately 28.3% of all Canadian ICUs. The vast majority of responses came from ICU managers or nursing leadership. Our study identified variable waste management practices across the country and showcased successful initiatives undertaken by Canadian ICUs toward increased environmental sustainability., (Copyright © 2021 Longwoods Publishing.)

During the ten years that I have worked at the Canadian Nurses Protective Society, we have had numerous calls from Operating Room nurses questioning the practice of re-using single use medical devices in their facilities and voicing their concerns about possible harm to patients, themselves and potential liability exposure. Interest in this topic has been rekindled by the recent Saskatchewan case involving the death of a patient from variant Creutzfeld-Jakob Disease (vCJD) and possible transmission of vCJD to 71 patients who may have been exposed to the same endoscope as the deceased while in hospital. In this article, I propose to address some of the concerns related to the reuse of single use medical devices by focusing on the prevalence of this practice, the legal risks involved, regulation of this practice, and risk management.