Abstract
Reusable laryngoscope blades had long been used before the introduction of single-use medical devices, largely favored by the epidemic of bovine spongiform encephalopathy linked to the new variant of Creutzfeld-Jakob disease in the 90s. Up to this day, there are 231 cases, of which 18 are in France. Spaulding's classification allows evaluating of the criticality of medical devices. Laryngoscope blades are deemed semi-critical. For practical reasons, UU laryngoscope blades, mainly made of metal, are now in the majority. However, in view of the environmental challenges we are already facing, we cannot ignore the impact of the use of ULSD, including laryngoscope blades. Their short-term use is a source of considerable waste production and resource consumption. In this article, we will look at solutions to these climatic challenges: recycling and reuse, their advantages but also their constraints.