The need for healthcare facilities to maintain an internal environment that meets hygienic and safety standards involves a significant expenditure of energy and materials, which negatively impacts the environment. It is estimated that the healthcare sector contributes 4.4% of global greenhouse gas emissions, with approximately 30% attributable to operating rooms.

The project, which is the focus of the PhD in Energy Transition and Sustainable Production Systems by Eng. Anna Savio, under the supervision of Prof. Simone Zanoni, of the Department Civil, Environmental, Architectural Engineering and Mathematics (DICATAM), Prof. Lucio Enrico Zavanella, Director of the DIMI, Eng. Beatrice Marchi, Research fellow at DIMI, and in collaboration with Prof. Giuseppe Milano, of the Department of Medical-Surgical Specialties, Radiological Sciences and Public Health (DSMC) of the University of Brescia and Director of the Complex Operating Unit of Orthopedic Clinic of the ASST Spedali Civili of Brescia, and Dr. Pierangelo Guizzi, Director of the Orthopedic and Traumatology Department of the Gardone V.T. Hospital.

The final goal of the study is to calculate the overall environmental impact of different surgical practices and to develop an effective model to optimize resource consumption without increasing the workload of the staff and maintaining the quality of performance.