Anaesthesia
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The environmental emissions attributed to anaesthetic nitrous oxide across the NHS are comparable to the carbon dioxide released by 135,000 flights from Frankfurt to New York. Much of these emissions are attributable to cumbersome and inadequately managed piped systems, resulting in excessive loss and waste. ⋯ Nitrous oxide mitigation efforts by grassroots and professional advocacy networks are enhanced through national centralised emission monitoring, distribution of data, technical information and provision of quality analysis. Given the climate harms of nitrous oxide, concerted efforts should be made to rationalise its use, and resources should be committed to supporting this at local, regional and national levels.
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In 2020 the NHS in England set a target of reaching net zero carbon emissions by 2040. Progress has already been made towards this goal, with substantial reductions in the use of environmentally harmful anaesthetic gases, such as desflurane, in recent years. ⋯ Reducing unwarranted variation can improve patient care and service efficiency, and can also support the drive to net zero. In this article we set out what the GIRFT programme is doing to support sustainable healthcare in England, why it is uniquely positioned to support this goal and what the future challenges, barriers, enablers and opportunities are likely to be in the drive to net zero.
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Anaesthetic practice contributes to climate change. Volatile capture technology, typically based on adsorption to a carbon- or silica-based substrate, has the potential to mitigate some of the harmful effects of using halogenated hydrocarbons. Anaesthetists have a professional responsibility to use anaesthetic agents which offer the greatest safety and clinical benefit with the lowest financial cost and environmental impacts. ⋯ Currently, there is no financial incentive for healthcare organisations to capture waste anaesthetic gases, and so the value of volatile capture technology requires quantification. System-level organisations, such as Greener NHS, are best positioned to commission such evaluations and make policy decisions to guide investment. Further research using volatile capture technology in real-world settings is necessary and we highlight some priority research questions to improve our understanding of the utility of this group of technologies.