gases. As
providers adjust
gas flows, the
machines display
the per-hour
usage of desflu-
rane or sevoflu-
rane in milliliters.
That real-time
feedback helps
providers deliver
the most efficient
amount of anesthetic and prevent waste.
Low-flow anesthesia also reduces OR contamination and limits the
amount of agent vented into the environment. Inhalational agents are
potent greenhouse gases, so waste has a significant environmental
impact. Sevoflurane remains in the atmosphere for close to 40 years
and nitrous oxide floats in the atmosphere for a century.
5. Provider safety
During induction, when it's time to intubate the patient, providers
remove the anesthesia mask. If the gas flow is left on high, the inhala-
tional agent continues to flow into the room, where everyone is
breathing it in, even if the vaporizer has been turned off. If the vapor-
izer has been turned off, the potential for the provider being distract-
ing and forgetting to turn it back on is real.
Health concerns over provider exposure to anesthetic waste gas is a
significant issue. In the short term, exposure can cause difficulties in
judgment, loss of coordination, impaired manual dexterity, drowsi-
ness, headache, irritability, fatigue and nausea. There is evidence that
J U L Y 2 0 1 8 • O U T PA T I E N TS U R G E R Y. N E T • 5 1
• JUST RIGHT Anesthesia machines let providers titrate the concentration of anesthetic
agents to put patients at optimal levels of sedation.
