Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2024 Jul 17;4(1):46.
doi: 10.1186/s44158-024-00181-3.

Carbon footprint in trauma surgery, is there a way to reduce it?

Elize W Lockhorst  1   2 , Philip M J Schormans  3 , Cornelis A S Berende  3 , Pieter Boele van Hensbroek  3 , Dagmar I Vos  3
Affiliations

Carbon footprint in trauma surgery, is there a way to reduce it?

Elize W Lockhorst et al. J Anesth Analg Crit Care. .

Abstract

Background: Inhaled anaesthetic agents like sevoflurane contribute for approximately 5% to healthcare's carbon footprint. Previous studies suggested that the use of these agents should be minimized. Although multiple trauma surgeries can be performed under regional anaesthesia, most are performed under general anaesthesia. This study aims to evaluate the environmental benefits of using regional anaesthesia over general anaesthesia and to compare the associated complication rates.

Methods: This retrospective study included all trauma patients (≥ 18 years) who underwent surgical intervention for hand, wrist, hip, or ankle fractures from 2017 to 2021. The hypothetical environmental gain was calculated based on the assumption that all surgeries were performed under regional anaesthesia. Complication rates were compared between regional and general anaesthesia.

Results: Of the 2,714 surgeries, 15% were hand, 26% wrist, 36% hip, and 23% ankle fractures. General anaesthesia was used in 95%, regional in 5%. Switching this 95% to regional anaesthesia would reduce the sevoflurane use by 92 k, comparable to driving 406,553 km by car. The complication rate was higher with general anaesthesia compared to regional (7.7% vs 6.9%, p = 0.75).

Conclusion: The potential gain of the reduction of sevoflurane in trauma surgeries which can be performed under regional anaesthesia can be significant.

Keywords: Anaesthesia; Carbon footprint; Traumasurgery.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
The overall carbon dioxide emissions resulting from general anaesthesia during surgeries on the hand, wrist, hip, and ankle
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
The overall carbon dioxide emissions resulting from general anaesthesia during surgeries on the hand, wrist, hip, and ankle, translated into the number of laps that could be driven around the world
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Horton R, Wang, H (2015) WHO calls for urgent action to protect health from climate change. Available from: https://www.who.int/globalchange/global-campaign/cop21/en/
    1. Gaya da Costa M, Kalmar AF, Struys M. Inhaled anesthetics: environmental role, occupational risk, and clinical use. J Clin Med. 2021;10(6):1306. doi: 10.3390/jcm10061306. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Pichler P-P, Jaccard IS, Weisz U, Weisz H. International comparison of health care carbon footprints. Environ Res Lett. 2019;14(6):064004. doi: 10.1088/1748-9326/ab19e1. - DOI
    1. Campbell M, Pierce JMT. Atmospheric science, anaesthesia, and the environment. BJA Education. 2015;15(4):173–179. doi: 10.1093/bjaceaccp/mku033. - DOI
    1. Erving HW. The discoverer of anæsthesia: Dr. Horace Wells of Hartford. Yale J Biol Med. 1933;5(5):421–30. - PMC - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources