HEALTHCARE & SUS TAINABI L I T Y


Reducing the environmental impact of anaesthetic gases Across the NHS, anaesthetic gases are


Sustainable and available There is a distinct lack of low carbon, sustainable products on the market for endoscopy practice. However, a new range of bedside pre-clean kits are beginning to emerge onto the market made from bagasse material. Suppliers should be looking into offering a low-cost, sustainable range of products to all healthcare providers in an attempt to decrease our plastic use. The StageOne Bedside kit made by Meditech Endoscopy is an eco-friendly and sustainably sourced example of a bedside kit used in endoscopy. The bagasse made tray is 100% compostable. Using this product reduces plastic use and, because the product is so light, can also reduce transport costs by up to 30%.


CSJ


References 1 A Call for Sustainability in midst of Covid 19, Elsevier public health Emergency Collection Article, published Jul 2020. https://www.thelancet.com/ journals/langas/article/PIIS2468-1253(20)30157-6/ fulltext


2 Pichler P-P, Jaccard IS, Weisz U, Weisz H. International comparison of health care carbon footprints. Environ Res Lett 2019; 14: 064004.


3 Vaccari M, Tudor T, Perteghella A. Costs associated with the management of waste from healthcare


commonly used as a part of everyday surgeries. These gases alone, are responsible for over 2% of all NHS emissions. Among anaesthetic gases, desflurane is one of the most common, but also one of the most harmful. It has 60 times the environmental impact of other less harmful greenhouse gases and using a bottle has the same global warming effect as burning 440 kg of coal. The NHS Long Term Plan aims for a 51% reduction in the NHS carbon footprint by 2025, with 2% of this to come through “transforming anaesthetic practices” such as using alternatives to desflurane. Recognising the impact climate change is having on the environment and the health of its people, University Hospitals Bristol Trust has been taking action. In addition to committing to take actions against single-


facilities: an analysis at national and site level. Waste Manag Res 2018; 36: 39–47


4 World Health Organization. Climate change and health. Geneva: WHO, 2016. www.who.int/ mediacentre/factsheets/fs266/en/ [Accessed 8 March 2017].


5 Chauhan MN et al. (2019) Use of plastic products in operation theatres in NHS and Environmental drive to curb use of plastics. World Journal of surgery and surgical research. Vol 2, Issue 1088.


6 A Call for Sustainability in midst of Covid 19, Elsevier public health Emergency Collection Article, published Jul 2020. https://www.thelancet.com/ journals/langas/article/PIIS2468-1253(20)30157-6/ fulltext


7 https://www.supplychain.nhs.uk/news-article/ clinical-waste-disposal-nhs/


About the author


Kerry Dolan has been a freelance writer for over 20 years and is currently the head of the marketing department for Meditech Endoscopy, a global company which supplies endoscopy consumables worldwide. She has concentrated her expertise on the cleaning and disinfection areas of endoscopy. Kerry has a special interest in creating awareness on achieving a sustainable future in the healthcare sector, believing that a combination of single-use devices and sustainably sourced materials can work in harmony. More recently, she has spearheaded a campaign to recognise healthcare workers hard work and determination throughout the challenging COVID-19 era of 2020.


42 l WWW.CLINICALSERVICESJOURNAL.COM MARCH 2021


use plastics, recycling, waste disposal, staff vehicle emissions and more, the Trust sought to address the impact of anaesthetic gases. The Trust has been encouraging the use of alternative surgical anaesthesia options to reduce the use of desflurane, such as switching to lower carbon alternative sevoflurane.


Staff at the Trust have been supporting colleagues in using less harmful gases, with positive results. In just two years, the staff at the Trust has reduced use of carbon intensive desflurane significantly, saving the equivalent to 30,000kg CO2


month.


Mat Molyneux, consultant anaesthetist at University Hospitals Bristol, said: “The monthly reduction when converted to carbon dioxide is equivalent to 166 cars off the road or 105,000 miles driven by an average passenger vehicle.”


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