Anaesthesia and intensive care
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Anaesth Intensive Care · Mar 2023
The financial and environmental impact of purchased anaesthetic agents in an Australian tertiary hospital.
Anaesthetic agents have various financial and environmental impacts. Climate change is one of the biggest threats to human health, and anaesthetic gases contribute to global heating by acting as greenhouse gases. The primary aim of this study was to quantify the financial and environmental impacts of anaesthesia maintenance agents used during surgery in an Australian university teaching hospital. ⋯ Using 2019 as an example year at our health service, replacing desflurane with low flow sevoflurane would save greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to driving over 1.4 million kilometres in an average petrol car. Removing desflurane from machines at our institution could save an estimated A$14,630 per annum through reduced machine testing alone. Our findings and calculations indicate that reducing the use of desflurane would have both financial and environmental benefits for healthcare.
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Anaesth Intensive Care · Mar 2023
Observational StudySimulation training results in performance retention for the management of airway fires: A prospective observational study.
Given the severity of the consequences of operating room fires, it is recommended that every anaesthesiologist master fire safety protocols and periodically participate in operating room fire drills. The aim of the present study was to evaluate skill retention one year after an airway fire training programme. Anaesthesiology residents were evaluated using an airway fire simulation-based scenario one year after an educational programme that included a one-h long problem-based learning session, a simulation-based airway fire drill with debriefing, and a formal group discussion. ⋯ Performance improvement was also demonstrated by a higher incidence of performance of crucial action items (cessation of airway gases, removal of sponges and pouring of saline), as well as shorter duration of time necessary to perform these tasks. After controlling the fire, the time to re-establish ventilation by bag-mask ventilation or intubation was shorter at one year: 18.0 (11.0-29.0 ) s, compared with initial training 54.0 s (36.2-69.8) s (P = 0.001). We conclude that skills are effectively retained for a year after an airway fire management training session.