Consider using sevoflurane over desflurane, says Dr. Sherman.
Sevoflurane has the smallest carbon footprint among commonly used
anesthesia gases, and administering it instead of desflurane will not
impact the quality or safety of patient care.
• Opt for regional anesthesia. We all know that spinal epidurals and
peripheral nerve blocks reduce the need for inhaled anesthetics. They
also result in better pain management for patients. But what if your
surgeons don't like regional anesthesia because they feel it takes too
long to place blocks and wait for them to take effect?
"Work on systems factors to improve block placement efficiency
instead of avoiding regional anesthesia altogether," says Dr. Sherman.
Her pointers to improve the efficiency of a regional program: Ask
patients who'll receive regional anesthesia to arrive earlier than nor-
mal to allow extra time for block placement and onset. And form a
dedicated block team of anesthetists and nurses who know how to
place various blocks quickly and effectively.
• Raise awareness. Track the monthly usage of anesthetic agents
and present the findings to your anesthesia providers to help them
realize how the decisions they make at the head of the table impact
the environment.
You can also prompt eco-friendly choices at the point of care. One
idea is to use vaporizer labels — designed with a tree graphic for
placement on environmentally friendly gases and an air pollution
graphic for placement on environmentally harmful gases — to remind
providers to use low-flow anesthesia and administer sevoflurane
whenever it's clinically appropriate.
Data doesn't hurt either. Researchers at the University of Wisconsin
School of Medicine in Madison used scientific data that backed the
benefits of low-flow anesthesia and the environmental impact of anes-
thetic choice in an attempt to influence which agent anesthesia
Anesthesia Alert
AA
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