Brian Chesebro, MD, an anesthesiologist and physician at Providence Portland (Ore.) Medical Center, shared research with Missoula Anesthesiology on the effect costly anesthesia gases can have on the environment, the Missoula Current reported.
Here are four important details to know:
1. Dr. Chesebro told the Current that anesthesia gases are harder on the environment than common greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide. He said Desflurane is the most potent and expensive anesthesia gas and can last up to 14 years in the atmosphere. Switching to less expensive gases like Sevoflurane can reduce greenhouse gas emissions and save costs.
2. Administering the right amount of gas can be hard to calculate, and most of the time extra gas is wasted, Dr. Chesebro said.
3. Providence Portland Medical Center made the switch to Sevoflurane, reducing costs by $130,000 a year and cut emissions by 1,100 metric tons of carbon dioxide.
4. If all hospitals in Oregon used Sevoflurane for most of their procedures, it would save $750,000, and reduce emissions by 4,500 metric tons of carbon dioxide.