Scotland Just Banned a Surgical Anaesthetic Because of Climate Change

[rangerrebew]

Scotland Just Banned a Surgical Anaesthetic Because of Climate Change
22 hours ago Eric Worrall 69 Comments
Essay by Eric Worrall

h/t John C; Desflurane has a greenhouse gas potential 2500x greater than CO2. But “… ensuring patient safety remains at the heart of every clinical decision …”.

Scotland first to ban environmentally harmful anaesthetic

By Smitha Mundasad
Health reporter

Scotland has become the first country in the world to stop its hospitals using the anaesthetic desflurane because of the threat it poses to the environment.

NHS data suggests the gas, used to keep people unconscious during surgery, has a global warming potential 2,500 times greater than carbon dioxide.

Banning it in Scotland – from its peak use in 2017 – would cut emissions equal to powering 1,700 homes a year.

UK hospitals have already cut down.

https://wattsupwiththat.com/2023/03/04/scotland-just-banned-a-surgical-anaesthetic-because-of-climate-change/

[catfish1957]

Looking so forward to that leather bit, stick, and a bottle of whskey for surgery prep.  /s

[Kamaji]

Maybe they can return to the days of strapping the patient down to the table and giving them a wooden stick to bite down on.