Green anaesthesia: a review of sustainable perioperative practices and the potential application in Malaysia

Abstract

Global warming and worsening climate change threaten environmental sustainability and exacerbate disease burdens worldwide. Alarmingly, the health care sector emerged as a substantial contributor to this crisis. The operating theatre significantly contributes to hospital waste and greenhouse gas emissions. Anaesthesiologists are morally compelled to combat this crisis, aligning with our oath as physicians of “first, do no harm,” ensuring patient safety extends beyond the operating room by advocating for sustainable practices that safeguard both health and the environment. Understanding the climate change indicators reveals the alarming impact of human actions on escalating greenhouse gas emissions and their dire repercussions, such as global temperature shifts, severe weather events, and heightened natural disasters. Greener solutions and adaptive policymaking are essential to address procurement, greenhouse gas emissions, and waste management challenges in health care settings. Anaesthesiologists should collaborate with surgeons and hospital management to navigate patient-specific issues analysing the environmental impact of hospital visits, investigations, and comorbidities. Efforts toward sustainable healthcare practices in the preoperative setting, such as telemedicine adoption, promoting eco-friendly transportation, and optimising patient health before surgery should be encouraged. Anaesthesiologists should focus on the environmental impact of anaesthesia drugs, medical equipment, and electricity usage on the environment. We should be more responsible and able to justify our practices concerning the ecological implications of inhaled anaesthetic gases, propofol disposal, plastic-based equipment, and energy demands in operating rooms. The emphasis lies on adopting the 6Rs—rethink, refuse, reduce, reuse, recycle, and research—within anaesthesia practices to minimise environmental footprints.