In the news of the British broadcaster BBC, it was stated that Scotland was the first country in the world to ban desflurane anesthesia, which has a faster effect in surgeries and occurs faster.
It was pointed out that this anesthesia method is equivalent to the emission produced by 1700 houses in a year in Scotland alone, and it was also stated that desflurane contributes to global warming 2,500 times more than carbon dioxide.
In the news that also included the comments of anesthetist Kenneth Barker working in Scotland, Barker stated that they did not know that the anesthesia they have been using for years is so harmful to the environment, “The desflurane we used in just one day in 2017 is equal to the emissions I produce by driving 670 miles (approximately 1100 kilometers). ‘ he said.
Barker also stated that the ban on the use of such an environmentally harmful method is a pleasing development.
Desflurane used equal to the emissions of 11,000 homes in the UK in 2020
The ban on anesthesia management in England and Wales, which some hospitals have stopped using, will come into effect across the UK in 2024. Use will be made only in special cases.
According to National Health Service (NHS) data, the effect of desflurane, one of the anesthetic gases used in the UK in 2020, is equal to the emissions produced by 11,000 homes.
Most hospitals in the country use sevoflurane instead of desflurane, which contributes 130 times more to global warming than carbon dioxide. However, it is planned to use non-gas, more environmentally friendly anesthesia methods instead of this gas.
Anesthetic gases make up only 2 to 5 percent of the NHS’s carbon footprint. Within the scope of the NHS’s zero emission strategy, there is the target of using environmentally friendly lighting and heating systems, environmentally friendly vehicles, drugs and equipment, as well as the use of environmentally friendly medical gases.