By banning the anaesthetic desflurane in its hospitals, Scotland has become the first nation to take a major step towards protecting the environment. Desflurane is used to induce anaesthesia during surgical procedures, but its global warming potential is 2,500 times that of carbon dioxide. By prohibiting it in Scotland, yearly emissions will be reduced to the equivalent of powering 1,700 homes.
Forty hospital trusts in England and a number of hospitals in Wales have already taken steps to reduce their use of desflurane. NHS England will implement a similar ban beginning in 2024, similar to Scotland’s, which prohibits its use in all but exceptional circumstances. If this ban were implemented in every NHS hospital in England, it would reduce harmful emissions by the equivalent of 11,000 homes per year.
The news has been greeted with enthusiasm by anaesthetists across the United Kingdom, who are pleased to have made a contribution to environmental protection. Dr. Kenneth Barker, anaesthetist and clinical lead for Scotland’s national green theatres programme, was shocked to discover that the anaesthetic drug he had been using for many years was so damaging to the environment. He urged other anesthesiologists to switch to safer alternatives with less warming potential, such as sevoflurane, which has 130 times the global warming potential of carbon dioxide, or to non-gaseous anaesthetics and more efficient equipment.
According to Dr. Helgi Johannsson, vice president of the Royal College of Anaesthetists, this is just the beginning and “a drop in the ocean of the NHS carbon footprint.” He emphasised the necessity of addressing other medical gases, such as nitrous oxide, as well as examining more environmentally friendly heating and lighting systems, greener vehicles, and the environmental impact of how the NHS obtains its medicines and equipment.
The ban on desflurane in hospitals demonstrates Scotland’s commitment to environmental protection. It demonstrates that everyone can make a difference in combating climate change and reducing harmful emissions through concerted effort and awareness.
