Sustainability in anaesthesia and critical care

Question 1

Resource use and disposal in the perioperative period

Answer 1

Transport
- Supply chain
- Patient and staff travel

Plastics
- Monitoring equipment
- Cannulas
- Fluid delivery systems
- Syringes
- PPE

Linens and detergents
- Linen and patient gowns
- Scrubs

Waste
- Clinical waste from the operating theatre

Drugs and their metabolites

Raw materials and manufacture
- Implants
- Needles
- Laryngoscopes
- Blades
- Electricity

Question 2

Strategies to reduce the ecological impact of healthcare

Answer 2

Reduce the demand for healthcare services and drugs
- Promote health prevention
- Pre-hab
- Stewardship of prescribing

Promote green procurement
- Assurance from suppliers that goods are manufactured sustainably and ethically
- Ensure the impact of shipping is factored into the impact of procurement

Reduce the use of consumables
- Maximise the reuse and repurposing of equipment
- Consider 2% propofol for long TIVA cases
- Reduce unnecessary glove use
- Remove redundant items from procedure packs

Reduce the impact of waste and disposal
- Maximise recycling opportunities
- Re-usable sharp bins
- Improvement in incineration practices
- Filtration of hospital wastewater to prevent pharmaceutical discharge