How to reduce the carbon footprint: In the operating room, in the hospital, on the planet: The participation of General Oncology Hospital of Athens "Saint Savvas”.

Maria S. Chrysi 1, Georgios Georgiou 2, Olga Balaoura 3 and Maria Bourazani 4, *

1 Department of Surgery, General Oncology Hospital of Athens "Saint Savvas", Greece.
2 Department of Economic, General Oncology Hospital of Athens "Saint Savvas", Greece.
3 Department of Office Administration, General Oncology Hospital of Athens "Saint Savvas", Greece.
4 Department of Anesthesia, General Oncology Hospital of Athens "Saint Savvas", Greece.
 
Review
International Journal of Science and Research Archive, 2024, 12(01), 2937–2941.
Article DOI: 10.30574/ijsra.2024.12.1.1165
Publication history: 
Received on 15 May 2024; revised on 23 June 2024; accepted on 26 June 2024
 
Abstract: 
Introduction: Nowadays, climate change is seen as a visible threat that we are asked to face every day by posing new political challenges. Hospital waste is estimated at 1% of solid waste and 2.1% of the annual greenhouse gas emissions of each country. More specifically, operating theaters are the main source of pollution coming from Hospitals, with anesthesia departments responsible for 25% of these pollutants.
Method: The General Oncology Hospital of Athens "Saint Savvas" and in particular the Anesthesiology Department, in collaboration with the Surgery, participates in the global effort to reduce CO2 emissions to protect the environment, adopting the 5R program (Recycle, Rethink, Research, Reduce, Reuse) and the ESAIC (European Society of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care) guidelines "How to reduce the carbon footprint in the surgery, in the hospital, on the planet". Qualitative data analysis was performed on outcomes
Results: Decreased desflurane consumption per surgery by -7.31% and overall, in the year 2023 by -1.59%. Reduced battery consumption from -73.89% to -100%. From the money saved, the items of the Anesthesiology Department's medical supply warehouse increased by +16.56%, while the percentage value decreased by -11.39%.
Conclusion: With the adoption of the 5R program, it seems that financial and material resources are saved and the consumption of volatile gases per operation is significantly reduced.
 
Keywords: 
Carbon footprint; Carbon emission; Anesthesia; Surgery; Climate change
 
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