Assessing the carbon footprint of inhalation anaesthesia, total intravenous anaesthesia, and spinal anaesthesia for a single surgical procedure: a prospective observational study
Authors' conclusion
Spinal anaesthesia demonstrated the lowest carbon footprint. TIVA represented the lowest-carbon option for general anaesthesia techniques, whereas inhalation anaesthesia yielded the highest CO2e emissions despite low-flow delivery.
Study context
- Population
- Consecutive patients undergoing operative hysteroscopy in a French university hospital
- Participants
- 123 patients
- Exposure
- Inhalation anaesthesia vs TIVA vs spinal anaesthesia
- Inhalation anaesthesian = 72
- TIVAn = 22
- Spinal anaesthesian = 29
- Outcome
- Total carbon emissions (kgCO2e; gases, drugs, medical devices, electricity) per case
Methodological detailsGHG-focused life cycle assessment, single-centre, consecutive patients
- GHG-focused life cycle assessment
- Single-centre
- Consecutive patients
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Total carbon emissions
P < 0.001
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Main contributors to emissions
- Volatile anaesthetics main contributors for inhalation anaesthesia, pharmaceuticals for TIVA, single-use devices for spinal anaesthesia
Electricity consumption
- Similar across groups
Original publication
Assessing the carbon footprint of inhalation anaesthesia, total intravenous anaesthesia, and spinal anaesthesia for a single surgical procedure: a prospective observational study. Br J Anaesth. Published 19 August 2026. doi:10.
Composed by AI from the published abstract and checked against it. How Briefs are made →