Sustainable Healthcare Practices in Pediatric Anesthesia

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Anesthesiology
• Healthcare Sustainability

Background:

• Healthcare contributes significantly to global carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) emissions.
• Hospitals represent a substantial portion of healthcare's environmental footprint.
• Targeted carbon reduction strategies in pediatric anesthesia are crucial for mitigating environmental harm.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify evidence-based targets for carbon reduction in pediatric anesthesia.
• To guide meaningful reductions in healthcare-related environmental harm.
• To review strategies for minimizing the environmental impact of anesthetic practices.

Main Methods:

• A narrative review was performed, synthesizing data on anesthetic agents, perioperative workflows, waste, and hospital energy systems.
• Quantitative CO2e estimates were integrated where available.
• The review focused on identifying actionable strategies for carbon reduction.

Main Results:

• Preoperative strategies like early assessment and telehealth consultations offer carbon savings.
• Avoiding nitrous oxide and desflurane provides the largest individual intraoperative reductions.
• Institutional changes, such as decommissioning gas pipelines and optimizing HVAC systems, yield the most significant carbon reductions.

Conclusions:

• Pediatric anesthetists can reduce environmental harm while maintaining patient care quality.
• Individual choices, like avoiding desflurane and nitrous oxide, are impactful.
• Coordinated institutional and systems-level changes are essential for sustainable, large-scale emissions reductions.