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Review
. 2023 Sep 9;12(4):217-225.
doi: 10.5492/wjccm.v12.i4.217.

Improving environmental sustainability of intensive care units: A mini-review

Kay Choong See  1
Affiliations
Review

Improving environmental sustainability of intensive care units: A mini-review

Kay Choong See. World J Crit Care Med. .

Abstract

The carbon footprint of healthcare is significantly impacted by intensive care units, which has implications for climate change and planetary health. Considering this, it is crucial to implement widespread efforts to promote environmental sustainability in these units. A literature search for publications relevant to environmental sustainability of intensive care units was done using PubMed. This mini-review seeks to equip intensive care unit practitioners and managers with the knowledge necessary to measure and mitigate the carbon cost of healthcare for critically ill patients. It will also provide an overview of the current progress in this field and its future direction.

Keywords: Carbon footprint; Critical care; Global warming; Greenhouse effect; Greenhouse gases; Plastics.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict-of-interest statement: The author reports no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.

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