Hospitals reuse medical devices to lower costs

Wall Street Journal (subscription required), March 19, 2008

In a bid to save costs and stem a rising tide of medical waste, hospitals are recycling a growing number of medical devices labeled as single-use. The practice, which involves shipping devices to reprocessing facilities to be cleaned, sterilized and tested for reuse, has raised concerns about safety. Medical device makers say their single-use products pose a higher risk of failure and harm when recycled.