Desflurane: Action across Europe is needed to reduce the use of carbon emitting anaesthetic, says expert

A public health expert in Italy has called for a Europe-wide study into the unjustified use of an anaesthetic gas that contributes to global warming after his research found evidence that the agent, desflurane, is used needlessly in many regions of Italy.In absolute terms, the quantity of desflurane released by hospitals is tiny. But it has high global warming potential—over 2500 times greater than carbon dioxide.1 Experts say other less polluting alternatives to desflurane are available.An Italian team, led by Francesco Barone-Adesi, analysed data from the Italian Medicine Agency from 2009 to 2021. They reported in Anaesthesia that there has been a significant decline in the consumption of the leading agent sevoflurane, which is thought to be less damaging to the environment than desflurane because it degrades more quickly. In contrast, desflurane had gained popularity, despite concerns over its environmental impact.2Barone-Adesi, a professor of public health at the Università del…
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