Synopsis
A recent study suggests that adopting less harmful inhaled anaesthetic agents, termed greener anaesthesia, could significantly reduce harmful emissions by 50% in just one year, while maintaining patient safety and outcomes, as published in the Lancet Planetary Health.Key Takeaways
- Greener anaesthesia can cut emissions by 50%.
- Healthcare contributes significantly to carbon emissions.
- 3% of emissions come from inhaled anaesthetic agents.
- Minor changes can lead to substantial environmental benefits.
- No adverse effects on patient outcomes were recorded.
New Delhi, Feb 21 (NationPress) Utilizing less harmful inhaled anaesthetic agents, known as greener anaesthesia, could potentially decrease detrimental emissions by 50 percent within a year without compromising patient safety or outcomes, according to a study published in the journal Lancet Planetary Health on Friday.
The healthcare industry is a major contributor to overall carbon emissions through hospital waste, single-use plastics, transportation, and food services.
Approximately 3 percent of these hospital-related emissions arise from inhaled agents used during anaesthesia, noted the team from the University of Michigan, advocating for the adoption of greener alternatives.
"Inhaled anaesthetics represent a significant opportunity for emission reduction because they are extremely harmful to the environment as greenhouse gases," stated Douglas Colquhoun, Assistant Professor of anaesthesiology at the Michigan Medical School.
"We have demonstrated that minor adjustments in our practices can lead to substantial environmental benefits, importantly with no adverse effects on patients," he added.
The study evaluated the carbon dioxide (CO2) equivalents emitted, typically used to gauge the impact of greenhouse gases on the ecosystem, in addition to the volume of anaesthetic administered. It also examined patient outcomes like post-surgery nausea and vomiting, pain levels, unintended awareness, and surgical recall.
Furthermore, the researchers recommended that providers minimize the use of nitrous oxide (which is 270 times more effective than carbon dioxide at warming the environment) and increase the utilization of sevoflurane—the least environmentally damaging ether—in place of isoflurane.
Such modifications were linked to an average reduction of over 14 kg per case in CO2 equivalents.
No alterations were observed in the monitored depth of anaesthesia, pain levels, or postoperative nausea and vomiting, the team confirmed.
