9 pediatric hospitals cut gas emissions from anesthetics over 50%

Project Spruce, a consortium of nine pediatric hospitals, has successfully cut greenhouse gas emissions from inhaled anesthetics by over 50% across its nine partners.

The consortium aims to improve anesthesia protocols, increase knowledge of the environmental impact of anesthesia and provide data-driven feedback, according to a Sept. 19 press release.

Across the consortium 3,900 metric tons of carbon dioxide have been stopped from entering the atmosphere. That is the equivalent of driving a gas-powered car about 10 million miles.

The healthcare sector is currently a major contributor to climate change, producing 2 gigatons of carbon dioxide equivalents each year.

Inhaled anesthetics contribute greatly to the issue, as several major systems nationwide have discontinued the use of desflurane, which remains in the atmosphere for 14 years and has a global warming impact 2,500 times greater than that of carbon dioxide.

According to Health Care Without Harm’s 2019 Climate Footprint report, healthcare accounts for 8.5% of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions and 4.4% globally. The operating room is a major emissions hotspot, responsible for up to 40% of a hospital’s emissions, largely due to the use of long-lasting anesthetic gasses like nitrous oxide, according to the release.

Project Spruce was launched in 2021 by founding site Seattle Children’s, which has reduced its anesthesia emissions tenfold by eliminating over 500,000 kilograms of carbon dioxide equivalents annually. The system has also seen a cost savings of $180,000 per year by increasing inhaled anesthetic efficiency and reducing waste.

The founding members of the Project Spruce consortium are Akron (Ohio) Children’s, Boston Children’s Hospital, BC Children’s Hospital in Vancouver, British Columbia, Children’s Hospital Colorado of Aurora, Dayton (Ohio) Children’s, Johns Hopkins Children’s Center in Baltimore, Nemours Children’s Health of Jacksonville, Fla., Seattle Children’s and The Children’s Hospital at Westmead, Australia.

Several additional institutions have recently joined the consortium as well.