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Harold Laufman, MD, PhD; Luther Riley; Barry Badner, MS

Arch Surg. 1976;111(1):20-26.

Abstract
• Disposable products today are an important part of the multibillion dollar health devices industry. A few heavy-usage and low-usage examples of disposable products used by surgeons are chosen to demonstrate that in a 1,000-bed hospital, economy is rarely, if ever, a reason for converting from reusables to disposables. The actual reasons are more closely related to individual preference, availability, convenience, dependability, safety, and, in some cases, manufacturer's promotion.

In a 24-hospital study of surgical apparel, it was found that only caps, masks, shoe covers, and other small items approached parity in cost between disposable and reusable items, whereas the per-use cost of reusable larger items such as gowns and drapes was still much lower than that of their disposable counterparts. However, each hospital must make its own decisions based on all factors, not on economy alone.

(Arch Surg 111:20-26, 1976)

Author Affiliations
Lawrence Zelner

From the Institute for Surgical Studies, a Division of the Department of Surgery, Montefiore Hospital and Medical Center, New York.

Footnotes
Accepted for publication May 20, 1975.

Reprint requests to Institute for Surgical Studies, Montefiore Hospital and Medical Center, 111 E 210th St, New York, NY 10467 (Dr Laufman).

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