Switching to greener options for anesthetics was found to cut their planet-warming pollution output in half over the course of a year, according to a new study from the University of Michigan.
The researchers encouraged health care providers at U-M to reduce their use of nitrous oxide and increase the use of sevoflurane, the least environmentally harmful ether, according to a news release published by Medical Xpress, which reported on the findings. Further, the study's authors revealed that there were no changes in measured depth of anesthesia, pain scores, or postoperative nausea and vomiting.
The U.S. health care industry is responsible for about 8.5% of domestic planet-warming pollution, and that figure is growing. While these emissions come from a variety of sources, such as transportation and single-use plastics, 3% come from the use of inhaled agents used during anesthesia.
Switching to more planet-friendly anesthesia is just one of several solutions that experts are exploring to help green up the medical industry. For instance, Health Care Without Harm has pushed hospitals to strive for net zero emissions. Jane Fonda even recently called on hospitals to move away from dirty energy to protect patients and the environment from the health impacts of pollution from these fuels.
Plus, some medical centers, such as NYC Health + Hospitals, are moving toward plant-based food options, which could help reduce planet-warming pollution. One team of researchers asserts that halving our consumption of animal food products could cut heat-trapping air pollution caused by agriculture and land use by 31% by mid-century compared to 2020 levels.
"I think the important thing that we showed was that it is possible to significantly reduce the environmental impact of anesthesia," author David Hovord said. "Even beyond the study period, we reduced our emissions by a huge amount in under three years."
Author Douglas Colquhoun added, "We've shown that small changes in our practice lead to big changes for the environment and, importantly, no changes for the patients."
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