Discover Savings in Surgical Waste Management: Serres Nemo Calculator
Surgical fluid management is a costly and resource-intensive part of hospital operations. During medical procedures, surgical suction is used to remove patient fluids to maintain visibility of the operated areas. These fluids must then be safely disposed of, contributing to waste management costs and environmental burden.
The Serres Suction system, consisting of single-use suction bags and reusable suction canisters, enables healthcare professionals to collect patient fluids safely and efficiently. Serres Nemo, a surgical fluid disposal device, then hygienically empties the collected fluids from the suction bag into the sewer, so that only the empty bags need to be disposed of.
By using the Serres Suction system and Serres Nemo for fluid management, hospitals can reduce operating room waste from surgical fluid collection by up to 22 tons per year1, generating up to 97% less waste, costs, and CO₂e emissions from transportation to incineration.
Understand Your Savings with the Serres Nemo Calculator
The Serres Nemo Efficiency Calculator helps you easily understand the potential savings when using the Serres Fluid Management system. The tool provides a high-level calculation, but you can also obtain a comprehensive calculation based on your hospital’s data.
Get the high-level results in seconds, with just a few basic inputs:
- Number of operating rooms (ORs)
- Average number of suction bags used per operating room (OR) annually
- Average disposal cost per kilogram of waste
If you do not have the exact numbers available, the calculator uses standardized averages for a reliable high-level estimate. For the most accurate results, we recommend entering your facility’s specific data.
Reducing Surgical Fluid Waste and Related Costs
The waste costs typically come from multiple sources, such as:
- Waste kilograms to be disposed of. Note that in many cases, the full bags are stored in a plastic box, which is incinerated along with the bags.
- Transport costs to the disposal site
- Taxes related to the environment (e.g., CO₂ tax)
Most of the costs are related to the liquid waste, which is considered hazardous waste and is then typically incinerated along with the bag.
Get A More Comprehensive and Personalized Calculation
Because processes and waste management practices can vary from one facility to another, this calculator provides a starting point for understanding your potential savings. For a detailed, customized, and more accurate analysis, we recommend a personal consultation with our experts who can provide a precise calculation of the cost and CO₂ reductions.
Why Reducing Surgical Waste Matters
Based on our case study of the 2L Serres Suction bag – third-party-verified by OpenCO2.net – in a clinical setting, we can showcase the quantified potential impact of reducing surgical fluid waste with Serres Nemo. The 2-liter Serres Suction bag filled with fluid weighs about 2 kg. After emptying with Serres Nemo, only the lightweight bag itself remains – significantly reducing the amount of waste requiring disposal. Less weight means lower disposal costs, reduced carbon emissions, and simpler handling for staff.
CO₂e Emissions: The Environmental Impact
Reducing the weight of surgical waste also lowers its carbon footprint as less materials need to be transported for disposal. The carbon footprint study of the 2L Serres Suction bag found:
- A full 2L Serres Suction bag generates approximately 0.54 kg of CO₂e
- An emptied bag accounts for just 0.20 kg of CO₂e
Designed for Efficiency, Safety, and Sustainability
Our Serres Suction system, consisting of lightweight single-use suction bags and reusable canisters, is sustainable by design. Exceptionally thin yet highly durable, our suction bags are built to perform even in the most demanding conditions and support more than 80,000 procedures every day.
With a focus on material efficiency and smart design, we can fit up to four times more suction bags into the same space compared to similar products – reducing transport emissions and storage requirements. As part of our commitment to supporting healthcare facilities worldwide on their journey toward net zero, we provide reliable data for informed decision-making. This includes a third-party verified carbon footprint calculation of our 2-liter Serres Suction bag.
Beyond the environmental and financial benefits, our closed-loop Serres Suction system combined with and Serres Nemo also improves daily hospital operations. Fluid disposal with Serres Nemo takes about 15 seconds, easing the workload for healthcare staff and minimizing the risk of spills.
1 Applicable for 10,000 bags / average use per one OR per year.
2 Source: Carbon Footprint of the 2l Suction Bag | Serres. Please note: The CO₂e reduction results are estimates and are for informational purposes only.
