Comparative carbon footprint and environmental impact of biodegradable pancreatic stent versus conventional plastic stent usage in ERCP

Aims Plastic pancreatic stents are widely used for the prevention of post-ERCP pancreatitis (PEP). However, these patients require further care post-procedure to confirm spontaneous stent passage and repeat endoscopy for stent removal if migration has not occurred (in approximately 20%). The development of a 6F biodegradable (BD) stent (Archimedes, Q3 Medical, Dublin, Ireland), which can be used for the same indications, removes the need for additional post-procedure care. This study aimed to evaluate the additional carbon footprint related to the environmental impact of the care pathway using plastic (non-BD) pancreatic stents compared with using BD stents.