Bastions of the scalpes, powerful lighting, monitoring machines, ventilation systems, gas to put patients to sleep, operations rooms count for approximately 40% of greenhouse gas emissions from hospitals and generate around 30% of their waste.
According to new data from The Shift Project presented on Monday, 7% of emissions come in France from the use of medical gases (inhalers, halogéné gas used in anesthesia and nitrogen prosoxide which represents 30% of these emissions), which is equivalent “to the emissions generated by more than 75,000 turns of the earth in thermal car“.
Major leaks
“”In France, over the past five years, the Desflurane has been abolished approximately 98%“, Anesthetic gases inhaled among the most polluting with a lifespan in the 14-year atmosphere, for the benefit of the sevoflurane whose environmental impact is less, indicates to AFP Jean-Michel Constantin, president of the French Society of Anesthesia and Registration (SFAR).
As for nitrogen oxide (N₂O), one of the oldest anesthetic gas used in association with other anesthetics, it has also disappeared from the operating room in adults because of its deleterious impact on the environment and remains only weakly used in pediatrics.
According to the SFAR, a collective of healthy eco -responsibility (CERES) and the National Union of Pharmacists of Health Establishments (SYNPREFH), this gas has a power of warming from 265 to 300 times higher than carbon dioxide and can stay more than 100 years in the atmosphere.
Problem: major leaks, responsible for approximately 90% of consumption, is noted on networks within the walls of hospital buildings.
“”There are still 500 health establishments that have circuits equipped with nitrogen oxide“, counts Jean-Michel Constantin.
Experts call for no longer feeding these networks before the end of the year and encouraged to use small bottles of N₂O.
“”The cessation of this form of distribution will save 115,000 tonnes of CO2 equivalents, or roughly the equivalent of 13,000 turns of the earth in thermal car“Calculated The Shift Project.
Anti-pamper
In post-operative, practice has also evolved.
For a long time the surgeons were used to administering analgic intravenous ways at the outlet of the block. Now the use of tablet in tablets tends to become widespread.
“”Same efficiency and you reduce the carbon impact by 12“by eliminating infusions, pockets and”All plastic in the tubing“, Patrick Pessaux, professor of visceral surgery, tells AFP.
Efforts continue on many other terrains: sorting of waste produced by the block has imposed itself, LED surgical lighting has become the standard and single -use outfits are scarce.
Also finished all disposable for small snacks, return to dishes.
“”In 2017 there were no trash cans in the sorting operating room“, recalls Mr. Pessaux, who chairs the” Ecological Health Transition “committee of the France Hospital Federation.”Today, we sort everything: glass, metal, plastic, paper. And it’s recycled“.
Including stainless steel laryngoscope blades, which allow the patient to intubate.
To limit waste, responsible for “a fifth of waste in the block”, the content of the surgery boxes has been recalibrated as close as possible to the needs of the intervention. “”Useless the 20 clips for surgery for ablation of the gallbladder, only 6 are needed“, Details Mr. Pessaux.
On the medication side, the use of pre -filled syringes avoids preparing too much before the intervention and having to throw those which have not been used.
Finally, to reduce energy consumption, experts suggest putting the block air treatment systems in standby in time during inactivity.
“”There is emulation between hospitals. It is fundamental to try to be cleaner, less polluting, but the priority remains to maintain the quality of care“Concludes Mr. Constantin.