NewGen Surgical Releases World’s First Bio-Based & USDA BioPreferred Surgical Compartment Trays
Designed for Ophthalmology and developed in partnership with a leading healthcare system to target the most prevalent surgical procedure
San Rafael, California, February 8, 2023 – NewGen Surgical is releasing its first procedure-specific biobased trays. Designed for ophthalmology, the compartment trays can also be used in many surgical and medical procedures. Compartment trays are often used for prep and rinsing instruments and can be found in various medical kits, including minor procedure kits, cardiac Cath kits, and standard surgical kits.
For maximum environmental impact, NewGen Surgical worked directly with one of the largest healthcare systems in the world to focus on the most prevalent surgical procedure of all medical specialties. Cataract surgeries are estimated at 3.7 million cases per year in the U.S., 7 million in Europe, and 20 million worldwide.1 The launch presents an immediate and far-reaching opportunity for the ophthalmology field to achieve measurable plastic and CO2e reductions in the health sector by simply switching out single-use plastic compartment trays for NewGen Surgical compartment trays.
According to an interview by Ocular Surgery News with Kara C. LaMattina, MD, ophthalmology practices, both in the operating room and in the clinic, rely widely on single-use plastic. Ophthalmology has the highest surgical volumes and rapid turnover rates in the NHS.2 In just one ophthalmology clinic, approximately 64,000 visits are performed annually.3 In a typical workweek, an ophthalmologist will see over 100 patients and perform three or more major surgical procedures.4 Single-use plastic plays a part in every aspect of ophthalmology services. Single-use disposable instruments and equipment have contributed to the mass production of clinical and non-clinical waste and significantly toward CO2e emissions. 53.8% of these emissions are from procurement, the majority due to disposable medical equipment.5
Introducing bio-based hospital disposables to surgical specialties such as Ophthalmology facilitates the transition to a low-carbon patient care model for hospitals and health clinics promoting environmental sustainability following emerging climate goals set worldwide. Given the exceedingly high volume of cataract procedures performed globally annually, just one small change can create a significant impact. As an example, if applied to one large healthcare system, this small change multiplied across 100,000 cataract surgeries annually would result in CO2e reduced by 32 metric tons and plastic waste reduced by 7 tons.
“These two products are an example of the type of industry collaboration we need to decarbonize our healthcare supply chain, eliminate plastic pollution and start to solve our climate crisis. We worked directly with doctors from leading health systems in the ophthalmology field to learn the clinical needs and product requirements so NewGen Surgical can help create what we consider climate-smart products.,” added Rob Chase, CEO, and Co-Founder of NewGen Surgical, “These products presented opportunities for all parties involved, particularly the ophthalmology field, who perform the largest and most common surgical procedure worldwide, to create a positive, meaningful impact. We are looking forward to increased collaborations with doctors and healthcare systems. This is just the beginning.”
About NewGen Surgical Inc.
NewGen Surgical, Inc. develops and manufactures sustainably designed plant-based, single-use medical devices and products. The company’s mission is to offer clinically effective product solutions to measurably reduce plastic and Scope 3 emissions. NewGen Surgical products are California Prop 65 compliant, free of intentionally added BPA or BPA-derived plastics, mercury, phthalates, PFAs, and PVC. In addition, they are the first surgical products to be USDA BioPreferred Certified. NewGen Surgical offers a ring basin for the OR, the first and only medical product to achieve Greenscreen certification with Clean Production Action. In addition, the company currently offers 6 product lines, available directly or through major national distributors and internationally with approved CE marks.
