The transition to a more sustainable IR service: From awareness to action

As the climate crisis continues to affect population health, healthcare systems face the dual challenge of mitigating its effects while addressing their own contribution to it. Interventional radiology (IR), with its reliance on advanced imaging technology and extensive use of medical devices, therefore, sits at an intersection between innovation and sustainability. Here, Simon Lambracos (London, UK) puts forward key actions to mitigate emissions in IR, addressing energy consumption, waste management, supply chain and departmental infrastructure.

The healthcare sector contributes approximately 5% to global green­house gas emissions, and medical imaging represents 10% of that figure.¹ As a result, in 2020, the UK National Health Service (NHS) became the first healthcare system worldwide to commit to achieving net zero emissions, and in doing so embedded this within UK law. Yet awareness of this alone is insufficient. Meaningful change requires clinicians and organisations to recognise where emissions arise within everyday workflows and to translate the evidence into tangible interventions. But what is meant by sustainability in this context?

1. Steps to minimise energy consumption

Energy consumption is one of the most visible challenges within the IR environ­ment. Imaging and ventilation systems are energy intensive and alarmingly often consume the most power during peri­ods of inactivity. There is little excuse for this; we would not leave the heating and electrical appliances running when away from home, so should we not afford the same courtesy when leaving the hospi­tal environment? Simple changes such as switching systems off when not required, optimising equipment standby settings and reducing system idling through optimised patient scheduling, repre­sent some of the lowest hanging fruit to reduce unnecessary energy use. These measures may appear small at an individ­ual departmental level, but would repre­sent a substantial cumulative effect across multiple sites.

The environmental burden associated with digital data is also becoming increas­ingly relevant. As demand for imaging grows and artificial intelligence (AI) appli­cations become more integrated into clin­ical practice, the volume of stored data is increasing exponentially. With data centre emissions currently being compared to those of the global aviation industry and projected to at least double in terms of energy consumption within the European Union in the next decade, this is naturally a major concern.² That said, the beneficial role for AI in healthcare and IR cannot be understated. AI has the potential to coun­teract environmental impact through improved workflow planning, reduction of repeat procedures and more efficient use of existing resources.³

2. Reducing waste and rationalising single-use products

In the NHS, single-use products make up 90% of medical device waste with their disposal amounting to an estimated annual cost of £28 million.^4,5 Whilst this may seem like an insurmountable chal­lenge, simple actions such as improving stock management to prevent avoidable product expiry and opening products “just in time” as opposed to “just in case” have been shown to significantly reduce both carbon emissions and financial cost in some centres.^5,6 Similarly, appropriate waste segregation can also play its part through avoidance of erroneous incin­eration of recyclable or non-hazardous materials, which can sometimes also incur financial penalties. Simply improv­ing waste bin placement, signage and staff education can help to address this issue.

3. Collaboration with industry is key

A significant proportion of the environ­mental footprint of IR lies within the manufacturing, packaging and trans­portation of medical devices. Clinicians therefore have an important role in influ­encing purchasing decisions and engaging with industry partners. Moving towards a circular economy—where products are designed for reuse, reprocessing or refurbishment—will require collaboration between healthcare providers, manufac­turers and regulators.

Imaging equipment itself provides another example of where sustainability and innovation can align. Longer equip­ment lifecycles, energy-efficient tech­nologies and responsible replacement strategies may reduce the environmental impact associated with manufacturing and disposal.⁷

4. Affecting change at the departmental level

Sustainability also extends beyond the walls of the IR suite. Consideration of the whole patient pathway can uncover signif­icant pre- and post-procedural contrib­utors to the overall IR carbon footprint. Reducing unnecessary hospital visits through virtual consultations, remote digi­tal consent processes and reducing length of stay with ringfenced day-case units can optimise patient experience, environmen­tal outcomes, departmental productivity and financial savings.⁸

Despite these opportunities, barriers remain. Cultural inertia, financial pres­sures and regulatory constraints can significantly delay progress.⁹ It is for this reason that achieving a sustainable IR service requires leadership and collabora­tion, at an individual level, organisational level and cross-sector. Embedding these principles into the infrastructure of organ­isations and societies is a key mechanism in their consequent adoption into busi­ness-as-usual at ground level. By commit­ting to sustainable practice, IR can again innovate by delivering high-quality care whilst simultaneously contributing to a healthier future for both patients and the planet.

References

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3. Doo FX, et al. Environmental sustainability and AI in radiology: A double-edged sword. Radiology. 2024;310(2). doi:10.1148/radiol.232030.
4. UK Government. Design for Life roadmap [Internet]. 2024 [cited 2026 Jul 28]. Available from: https:// www.gov.uk/government/publications/design-for-life-roadmap/design-for-life-roadmap–4
5. Demmert A, Hong K. 03:54 PM Abstract No. 147: Using human psychology to reduce equipment waste and decrease inventory costs. J Vasc Interv Radiol. 2019;30(3 Suppl):S68. doi:10.1016/j. jvir.2018.12.197.
6. Chasseigne V, et al. Assessing the costs of disposable and reusable supplies wasted during surgeries. Int J Surg. 2018;53:18-23. doi:10.1016/j. ijsu.2018.02.004.
7. Green Surgery. Reducing the environmental impact of surgical care [Internet]. UK Health Alliance on Climate Change; n.d. [cited 2026 Jul 28]. Available from: https://ukhealthalliance.org/sustainable-healthcare/green-surgery-report/
8. Lambracos S, Kurek N, Gray WK, Briggs TWR, Sheard S, Barnacle A. Call to action: A sustainable interventional radiology service. Cardiovasc Intervent Radiol. 2026. doi:10.1007/s00270-026- 04392-9.
9. Lojo-Lendoiro S, Abadal Villayandre JM, Lonjedo Vincent E, Morales Santos Á, Rovira À. A greener path for interventional radiology. J Med Imaging Radiat Oncol. 2025;69(4):498-508. doi:10.1111/1754- 9485.13867.

Simon Lambracos is a radiology resident at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust in London, UK.