Carbon Footprint of Inpatient Care (US)

This study uses hybrid environmental life cycle assessment (LCA) to quantify average emissions associated with resource use in an acute inpatient unit with 49 beds and 14,427 hospitalization days and an intensive care unit (ICU) with 12 beds and 2536 hospitalization days. The units are located in a single tertiary, private hospital in Brooklyn, NY, USA.

An acute care unit generates 5.5 kg of solid waste and 45 kg CO₂-e per hospitalization day. The ICU generates 7.1 kg of solid waste and 138 kg CO₂-e per bed day. Most emissions originate from purchase of consumable goods, building energy consumption, purchase of capital equipment, food services, and staff travel.