NL Health Services Reduces Environmental Impacts by Discontinuing Desflurane Anesthetic
Newfoundland and Labrador (NL) Health Services has taken further action to help reduce its environmental impact under its environmental sustainability strategy. Newfoundland and Labrador is the first province in Canada to discontinue the purchase of desflurane, an anesthetic agent that has been used in operating rooms internationally for decades.
“This decision reflects NL Health Services’ commitment to making wise environmental choices in health care that can benefit both patients and the environment,” said Dr. Greg Manning, anesthesiologist and senior medical director at NL Health Services. “The environmental harm caused by desflurane outweighs any benefit to continuing the use of this agent, and the clinically similar alternatives continue to be safe and effective.”
The commitment to discontinue the use of this anesthetic agent is in line with the Canadian Anesthesiologists’ Society (CAS)’s recent recommendation not to use desflurane when alternative anesthetic drugs and techniques are equally effective and less harmful to the environment.
“Choosing Wisely NL commends the provincial health authority for making Newfoundland and Labrador among the first jurisdictions in the world to officially discontinue the use of desflurane,” said Dr. Brendan Barrett, clinical lead of Choosing Wisely NL. “The health-care sector is a significant contributor of global greenhouse gas emissions, and it is imperative that we continue to make changes that positively impact the health of the planet as well as patients.”
While desflurane has been used as an anesthetic internationally for decades, in recent years, it has been shown to leave a much greater carbon footprint than alternative agents that are just as clinically effective. The discontinuation of desflurane was made following consultations with Choosing Wisely Canada, Choosing Wisely NL, the provincial committee for the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (CAPE-NL) and Clinical Chiefs of Anesthesiology within NL Health Services.
In alignment with the Health Accord recommendations on climate change, NL Health Services is building an Environmental Sustainability Strategy to reduce the environmental footprint of the health-care system and become a leader in Canadian health-care organization in climate culture and environmental stewardship. Developing an Environmental Sustainability Strategy is also an indicator in NL Health Services 2024-26 Strategic Plan.
For further information climate action in health-care, please visit Choosing Wisely and Climate Action – Choosing Wisely Canada.
-30-