The healthcare industry is a significant source of global carbon emissions, with waste management, single-use plastics, transportation, and food services adding to the environmental load. Alarmingly, inhaled anesthetics alone contribute 3% of total emissions.

A groundbreaking study by Michigan Medicine, published in Lancet Planetary Health, found that implementing eco-friendly anesthesia methods halved emissions within a year without compromising patient safety. The Green Anesthesia Initiative, launched in March 2022, aimed to curb nitrous oxide use, adopt less harmful fluorinated ethers, and increase intravenous anesthetics. This shift led to an average reduction of 14 kg of CO2-equivalent emissions per surgery.

Dr. Douglas Colquhoun, assistant professor of Anesthesiology at U-M Medical School, highlighted the urgency: “Inhaled anesthetics have an outsized environmental impact. Reducing their use is key to sustainability.” The study revealed that nitrous oxide, 270 times more potent than CO2, was significantly curtailed, with a preference for sevoflurane over isoflurane.

Dr. David Hovord, clinical assistant professor of Anesthesiology, noted that emission reductions continued beyond the study period. Senior VP Tony Denton praised the initiative, calling it a model for integrating sustainability into medical care.

Michigan Medicine’s success demonstrates that healthcare can modernize while reducing environmental harm, paving the way for global adoption of greener medical practices.