Version 1
: Received: 11 August 2024 / Approved: 12 August 2024 / Online: 12 August 2024 (13:28:29 CEST)
How to cite:
Cappellini, I.; Schirru, E. Bridging Anesthesia and Sustainability: A Special Article for a Path Towards Eco-Conscious Practice. Preprints2024, 2024080809. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202408.0809.v1
Cappellini, I.; Schirru, E. Bridging Anesthesia and Sustainability: A Special Article for a Path Towards Eco-Conscious Practice. Preprints 2024, 2024080809. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202408.0809.v1
Cappellini, I.; Schirru, E. Bridging Anesthesia and Sustainability: A Special Article for a Path Towards Eco-Conscious Practice. Preprints2024, 2024080809. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202408.0809.v1
APA Style
Cappellini, I., & Schirru, E. (2024). Bridging Anesthesia and Sustainability: A Special Article for a Path Towards Eco-Conscious Practice. Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202408.0809.v1
Chicago/Turabian Style
Cappellini, I. and Elena Schirru. 2024 "Bridging Anesthesia and Sustainability: A Special Article for a Path Towards Eco-Conscious Practice" Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202408.0809.v1
Abstract
Background: Escalating climate change concerns have prompted the healthcare sector, particularly anaesthesia, to reassess its practices to align with environmental sustainability. Anesthetic gases like desflurane, sevoflurane, and isoflurane significantly impact the environment due to their high Global Warming Potentials (GWPs) and prolonged atmospheric lifetimes. This manuscript investigates these impacts and advocates for strategies to reduce the carbon footprint of anesthetic care while maintaining patient safety. Methods: We reviewed the environmental impacts of anesthetic gases and explored various strategies for sustainable anaesthesia. These strategies include adopting anesthetics with lower GWPs, enhancing recycling and waste reduction techniques, transitioning to intravenous anaesthesia, and implementing low-flow anaesthesia methods. We also examined barriers to these strategies, such as educational gaps, technological challenges, resistance to change, and policy limitations. Results: Adopting anesthetics with lower GWPs, such as sevoflurane over desflurane, and implementing low-flow anaesthesia can significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Recycling and waste reduction techniques, though challenging, offer additional environmental benefits. Transitioning to intravenous anaesthesia can eliminate the direct GWP contributions from volatile anesthetic gases. However, these strategies require comprehensive education, advocacy for research and innovation, strategic change management, and supportive policies. Conclusions: Continuous monitoring and evaluation are crucial to ensure the effectiveness of sustainable practices in anaesthesia. Establishing robust Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and utilizing advanced analytical tools will enable the anaesthesia community to adapt and refine practices. Collaborative efforts among clinicians, policymakers, and stakeholders are essential to significantly reduce the environmental impact of anaesthesia and promote ecological responsibility within healthcare.
Keywords
sustainability; anesthesia; climate change
Subject
Medicine and Pharmacology, Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
