Medical diagnostic device company Welch Allyn has launched a new single-patient-use blood pressure cuff that, it says, has fewer environmental and health impacts than other disposable blood pressure cuffs.

According to the company, its 100 percent polypropylene EcoCuff does not contain bisphenol A (BPA), DEHP, Latex, PVC or other materials that can leach into the environment in a landfill or release harmful chemicals when incinerated. EcoCuff is capable of being recycled in areas where polypropylene recycling is available.

The EcoCuff is designed to lower the risk of cross-contamination in hospitals, by remaining with one patient for the duration of the hospital stay and then being disposed of upon release.

Lowering the risk of cross-contamination could help hospitals avoid the estimated US$5 billion that hospital-acquired infections cost U.S. hospitals each year, says the company. In addition, EcoCuff is manufactured using less material, weighing 60 percent less than other disposable blood pressure cuffs, which reduces transport and waste disposal costs for hospitals.

Although the practice is not yet widespread, a number of hospitals have implemented the practice of recycling medical-use polypropylene plastics, says the company. A lifecycle analysis by the Center for Sustainable Production at the Rochester Institute of Technology found that EcoCuff has 60 percent less overall environmental impact than other disposable blood pressure cuffs, the company stated in a press release.