The healthcare sector is a major contributor to environmental impact, and gastrointestinal endoscopy is associated with substantial resource use and waste generation. This study aimed to conduct a comprehensive life cycle assessment (LCA) of diagnostic gastroscopy—following the E-SPARE guideline and ISO 14040 standard—with a particular focus on the contribution of energy consumption (HVAC, lighting, and medical equipment). A Montecarlo uncertainty analysis is planned to strengthen the robustness of the estimates.

A prospective one-month observational study was carried out at Hospital Universitari i Politècnic La Fe (València, Spain) including all outpatients undergoing diagnostic gastroscopy (n=143). A cradle-to-grave LCA considered four stages: production, transportation, clinical procedure, and end-of-life. The analysis included medical supplies, gastroscope production and reprocessing, sedation, CO₂ insufflation, staff and patient travel, energy consumption, and waste management. Environmental impacts were quantified using ReCiPe 2016 Midpoint methodology and expressed as GWP-100 (kgCO₂e).

The carbon footprint of a single diagnostic gastroscopy was 25.17 kgCO₂e. The main contributors were patient transport (9.71 kgCO₂e, 38.6%), staff transport (6.95 kgCO₂e, 27.6%), and energy consumption (4.78 kgCO₂e, 19.0%). Medical supplies contributed 2.75 kgCO₂e (10.9%), while gastroscope production and reprocessing accounted for 0.93 kgCO₂e (3.7%). The clinical procedure itself (sedation and CO₂ insufflation) had a negligible impact (0.05 kgCO₂e, 0.2%). Within supplies, the most impactful items were surgical gowns, absorbent underpads, and biopsy containers, driven largely by material production (~74% of total impact).

Transportation—particularly patient travel—was the dominant contributor to the carbon footprint of diagnostic gastroscopy, followed by energy consumption. Strategies promoting sustainable mobility and improving energy efficiency could substantially reduce the environmental burden of the procedure.