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Can disposable medical devices be recycled and reused?

Can disposable medical devices be recycled and reused?

(Summary description)Stryker, a major American medical device company, announced on November 30th that it will invest US$525 million to acquire a company called Ascent Healthcare Solutions climbing health care solutions. This inconspicuous company specializes in helping hospitals recycle medical devices for single use. In recent years, business has been very prosperous. Makes large medical device companies quite jealous.

Can disposable medical devices be recycled and reused?

(Summary description)Stryker, a major American medical device company, announced on November 30th that it will invest US$525 million to acquire a company called Ascent Healthcare Solutions climbing health care solutions. This inconspicuous company specializes in helping hospitals recycle medical devices for single use. In recent years, business has been very prosperous. Makes large medical device companies quite jealous.

Information

Stryker, a major American medical device company, announced on November 30th that it will invest US$525 million to acquire a company called Ascent Healthcare Solutions climbing health care solutions. This inconspicuous company specializes in helping hospitals recycle medical devices for single use. In recent years, business has been very prosperous. Makes large medical device companies quite jealous.

   In the past, the medical device industry has been worried about this kind of recycling behavior or practice. People will always question whether medical devices designed for single use can be properly sterilized, and whether they can be used multiple times. Therefore, the acquisition of Stryker is a very interesting event. It marks the first time a large medical device manufacturer has entered the field and encourages hospitals to reuse certain medical devices. Whether such a business and business model can be accepted by hospitals, doctors and patients is still difficult to judge.

   However, regeneration and re-sterilization of medical equipment is commonplace in dental clinics and operating rooms, and people are not unfamiliar. As long as the patient accepts it, the hospital can save money for the patient. The hospital has been allowing this practice to be carried out in a reasonable and standardized manner, and has continued to make sustainable efforts, so that the business has been growing steadily in recent years.

   "reprocessing", because this practice is known, including sending equipment, special facilities cleaning, disinfection, and reuse testing. Reprocessing equipment includes: the surgeon uses a blade to see through the bones in the cuff of the pneumatic tourniquet, according to the Wall Street Journal.

   FDA has strengthened the supervision of reprocessing medical devices and facility regeneration, but in general there are not many rules and guidelines in this regard, and the corresponding regulations are still being improved. According to the investigation report of the US General Accounting Office in 2008, it is found that the use of reprocessed medical equipment does not increase the risk of patients. It is conceivable that under the premise of the new medical reform, emphasizing cost control and improving service quality, Stryker boldly bought this field, which should be a move to advance with the times and seize opportunities.

  The opinions of domestic experts

   Syringes, infusion sets, and stomach tubes, these instruments that can be reused after strict sterilization have become disposable instruments in most hospitals in recent years. Some experts believe that it is too extravagant to discard high-value medical devices once they are used up. Medical units should be conditionally allowed to clean, package and sterilize high-value medical devices and reuse them to reduce patient costs.

   With the development of medical technology and economy, more and more disposable medical supplies are used in clinical practice, such as various disposable syringes, infusion sets, stomach tubes, urinary catheters and puncture needles. Furthermore, many high-value medical supplies are also designed and manufactured as sterile medical devices for single use. From the perspective of merchants, this is a repeat business, which is of course optimistic, but from the consumers and payers of medical services, it may be too extravagant and wasteful.

   In addition to the additional cost, the disposal of disposable instruments after use is also a major headache. Most disposable medical supplies are made of plastic, rubber, glass or metal. They are not easy to destroy after use. They are usually broken, incinerated or landfilled, which can easily pollute the environment. More importantly, the use of high-value disposable medical supplies can range from hundreds of yuan to tens of thousands, or even more than 100,000 yuan. Disposable medical supplies are used too much, the medical expenses of patients will increase, and the burden on medical insurance and the hospital itself will also increase. Most disposable products are imported products with high profits. It is not excluded that some manufacturers use improper means to promote products in pursuit of higher profits, and some manufacturers label medical devices that could be reused in their packaging as disposable Of sterile medical devices. It is understood that even in the more developed countries in Europe and America, medical staff in many hospitals reuse high-value disposable medical devices in this way. They also think that it is too extravagant to discard high-value medical devices once they are used up.

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