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Environmentally Sustainable Anesthesia to Minimize Risks from Climate Change: a Societal Imperative or too Lofty a Goal?

  • Anesthesia, Pain Management and Long-term Outcomes (VNR Gottumukkala and ER Mariano, Section Editors)
  • Published:
Current Anesthesiology Reports Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose of Review

This review illustrates how anesthesia contributes to the carbon footprint. It gives practical reasons why anesthesiologists must understand and participate in sustainable anesthesia.

Recent Findings

Climate change, with the increasing frequency of natural disasters that have negatively impacted health, has received increasing attention within healthcare systems and anesthesia practices. Education on how to green the operating room (reduce, recycle, reuse, rethink, research) is imperative for all anesthesiologists in order for them to implement these actions. The benefit of single-use disposable equipment such as laryngoscopes needs to be assessed thoroughly using life cycle methodology.

Summary

Climate change is a global problem. Anesthesia contributes significantly to greenhouse emissions. Anesthesiologists must be educated on ways to mitigate this contribution and need tools that they can use to start reducing carbon emissions.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Frank H. Netter MD School of Medicine, Quinnipiac University, Hamden, CT, USA

    Haleh Saadat

  2. Integrated Anesthesia Associates-Fairfield Division, Hartford Health Care, Hartford, CT, USA

    Haleh Saadat

  3. Department of Anesthesiology, The Ohio State University and Wexner Medical Center, 410m W. 10th Avenue, N411 Doan Hall, Columbus, OH, 43210, USA

    Vidya T. Raman

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  1. Haleh Saadat
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HS and VTR wrote main manuscript. All authors reviewed manuscript.

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Correspondence to Vidya T. Raman.

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HS and VTR have no competing interests in writing paper.

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Saadat, H., Raman, V.T. Environmentally Sustainable Anesthesia to Minimize Risks from Climate Change: a Societal Imperative or too Lofty a Goal?. Curr Anesthesiol Rep 14, 57–62 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40140-023-00604-x

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