Wall Street Journal Examines Cost-Reducing Practice Of Reusing Some Products

Main Category: Medical Devices
Also Included In: Public Health
Article Date: 20 Mar 2008 - 11:00 PDT

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The Wall Street Journal on Wednesday examined efforts by some U.S. hospitals to reduce health care costs by recycling certain medical devices that have been labeled for single use. According to the Journal, the practice is legal as long as hospitals follow FDA regulations for reprocessing devices, such as scissors, clinical scrubs and sharp blades used by surgeons to cut through bones.

However, the Journal reports that the process, "which involves shipping devices to reprocessing facilities to be cleansed, sterilized and tested for reuse, has raised concerns about safety." Manufacturers of the devices say their products are not designed to withstand the strong chemicals and sterilization methods used at reprocessing plants. In addition, devices with porous surfaces or small gaps could still contain traces of blood, tissue or other bodily fluids that could transmit viral and bacterial infections, manufacturers say.

Hospitals, reprocessing firms and environmental groups say that reprocessed devices are just as safe as new devices because of modern sterilization methods. Supporters of the practice also say that recycled devices cost 40% to 60% less and reduce medical waste at landfills by thousands of tons. Kenneth Kizer -- a consultant and former undersecretary for health at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, who testified last year at a congressional hearing on the issue -- said the agency could save as much as $30 million in 2008 by using reprocessed devices. Kizer said, "Single-use labeling is a real scam for a lot of devices, and by not using reprocessed devices where possible, it is wasteful and not environmentally responsive, since these items have to be disposed of as biomedical waste." He added, "The reuse of medical devices that are labeled for single use only is a well-established and safe practice regulated by the FDA and utilized by most of the top-ranked hospitals in the country."

In addition, a Government Accountability Office report released in January that analyzed eight years of FDA data concluded that there is no evidence reprocessed single-use medical devices increase health risks for patients. As many as 100 single-use devices, or 2% of all single-use devices, currently are reprocessed for further use. The Journal reports that while the GAO study "tilts the debate strongly in favor of reprocessing and opens the door to more widespread use," device manufacturers "are sticking to their guns" and are lobbying several states to pass legislation that would require hospitals and other care providers to obtain "informed consent" from patients before reprocessed devices are used in medical procedures (Landro, Wall Street Journal, 3/19).

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