MATERIAL WASTE IN THE OPERATING ROOM AND ITS IMPACT ON SURGICAL SUPPLY EXPENDITURE: A NARRATIVE REVIEW

Abstract

Background: The operating room stands among the most resource-intensive departments in any hospital, and the supplies consumed during surgery make up a large share of institutional expenditure. Alongside their clinical value, these supplies carry a persistent burden of waste that quietly drains hospital budgets. Three forms of waste recur across the surgical literature: sterile materials that are opened for a procedure yet never used, stock that expires before it can be consumed, and instruments loaded into surgical trays that surgeons rarely touch. Each of these carries a direct financial cost through repurchase and disposal, together with indirect costs tied to storage, sterilisation, staff time, and the environmental footprint of surgical care. Cost awareness among the surgical team is frequently poor, and preference cards or instrument trays often go years without meaningful revision, allowing waste to accumulate unnoticed.