European Society of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care consensus document on sustainability: 4 scopes to achieve a more sustainable practice.

Climate change is a defining issue for our generation. The carbon footprint of clinical practice accounts for 4.7% of European greenhouse gas emissions, with the European Union ranking as the third largest contributor to the global healthcare industry's carbon footprint, after the United States and China. Recognising the importance of urgent action, the European Society of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care (ESAIC) adopted the Glasgow Declaration on Environmental Sustainability in June 2023. Building on this initiative, the ESAIC Sustainability Committee now presents a consensus document in perioperative sustainability. Acknowledging wider dimensions of sustainability, beyond the environmental one, the document recognizes healthcare professionals as cornerstones for sustainable care, and puts forward recommendations in four main areas: direct emissions, energy, supply chain and waste management, and psychological and self-care of healthcare professionals. Given the urgent need to cut global carbon emissions, and the scarcity of evidence-based literature on perioperative sustainability, our methodology is based on expert opinion recommendations. A total of 90 recommendations were drafted by 13 sustainability experts in anaesthesia in March 2023, then validated by 36 experts from 24 different countries in a two-step Delphi validation process in May and June 2023. To accommodate different possibilities for action in high- versus middle-income countries, an 80% agreement threshold was set to ease implementation of the recommendations Europe-wide. All recommendations surpassed the 80% agreement threshold in the first Delphi round, and 88 recommendations achieved an agreement >90% in the second round. Recommendations include the use of very low fresh gas flow, choice of anaesthetic drug, energy and water preserving measures, "5R" policies including choice of plastics and their disposal, and recommendations to keep a healthy work environment or on the importance of fatigue in clinical practice. Executive summaries of recommendations in areas 1, 2 and 3 are available as cognitive aids that can be made available for quick reference in the operating room.

The green anaesthesia dilemma: to which extent is it important to preserve as many drugs available as possible.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: This article aims to summarize the current literature describing the availability of different anaesthetic drugs, and to discuss the advantages and limitations of a self-imposed restriction on the scarcely existing anaesthetic drugs. RECENT FINDINGS: Earth temperature has risen 1.2°C since the beginning of industrial age, and it is expected to exceed a 1.5°C increase by 2050. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change depicts five different scenarios depending on how these increased temperatures will be controlled in the future. The European Commission has formulated a proposal to regulate fluorinated greenhouse gases (F-gases), among which desflurane, isoflurane and sevoflurane belong to, due to their high global warming potential. This proposal shall ban, or severely restrict, the use of desflurane starting January 2026. It is not clear what might happen with other F-gas anaesthetics in the future. Due to climate change, a higher number of health crisis are expected to happen, which might impair the exiting supply chains, as it has happened in previous years with propofol scarcity. SUMMARY: There are just a handful number of available anaesthetics that provide for a safe hypnosis. Major stakeholders should be consulted prior making such severe decisions that affect patient safety.

Safe Inspiratory Pressures Threshold in Lung Recruitment Maneuvers: An In Vivo Neonatal ARDS Model.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to define the level of peak inspiratory pressure (PIP) and mean airway pressure ([Formula: see text]) at which a pneumothorax is produced in an in vivo ARDS neonate model. In addition, we analyzed the hemodynamic response and cerebral parameters during the progressive increase of intrathoracic pressure. METHODS: We designed a prospective, experimental study with 11 Landrace × Large White pigs < 48 h from their birth. With the pigs under general anesthesia, tracheal intubation, invasive hemodynamic monitoring with a pediatric arterial thermodilution catheter, intracranial pressure, cerebral oximetry through near-infrared spectroscopy, and bilateral chest tube catheterization were performed. The ARDS model was developed with bronchoalveolar lavages. The rise in inspiratory pressure was performed achieved by increasing PEEP in stepwise increments at a constant driving pressure. PEEP was increased 5 cm H2O every 2 min until a pneumothorax was observed. A descriptive analysis, a Kaplan-Meier curve, and a regression analysis by using a generalized estimation equation were performed. RESULTS: A pneumothorax was observed in a median (interquartile range [IQR]) [Formula: see text] of 54 (46-56) cm H2O and median (IQR) PIP of 65 (58-73) cm H2O; asystole at median (IQR) [Formula: see text] of 49 (36-54) cm H2O and median (IQR) PIP of 60 (48-65) cm H2O. Hemodynamic changes in the median artery pressure, cardiac output, and myocardial contractility were observed above the range of [Formula: see text] of 14 cm H2O (PIP 25 and PEEP 10 cm H2O). Disturbances in intracranial pressure and cerebral oximetry through near-infrared spectroscopy appeared when deep hypotension and asystole occurred. CONCLUSIONS: A progressive increase of PEEP at a constant driving pressure did not increase severe adverse events at the range of pressures that we routinely use in neonates with ARDS. Asystole, pneumothorax, and cerebral compromise appeared at high intrathoracic ranges of pressure. Hemodynamics must be strictly monitored in all patients during the performance of lung recruitment maneuvers because hemodynamic deflections emerge early, at a range of pressures commonly used in ventilated neonates with ARDS.

Neonatal Pneumothorax Pressures Surpass Higher Threshold in Lung Recruitment Maneuvers: An In Vivo Interventional Study.

BACKGROUND: Causing pneumothorax is one of the main concerns of lung recruitment maneuvers in pediatric patients, especially newborns. Therefore, these maneuvers are not performed routinely during anesthesia. Our objective was to determine the pressures that cause pneumothorax in healthy newborns by a prospective experimental study of 10 newborn piglets (<48 h old) with healthy lungs under general anesthesia. METHODS: The primary outcome was peak inspiratory pressure (PIP) causing pneumothorax. Animals under anesthesia and bilateral chest tube catheterization were randomly allocated to 2 groups: one with PEEP and fixed inspiratory driving pressure of 15 cm H2O (PEEP group) and the second one with PEEP = 0 cm H2O and non-fixed inspiratory driving pressure (zero PEEP group). In both groups, the ventilation mode was pressure-controlled, and PIP was raised at 2-min intervals, with steps of 5 cm H2O until air leak was observed through the chest tubes. The PEEP group raised PIP through 5-cm H2O PEEP increments, and the zero PEEP group raised PIP through 5-cm H2O inspiratory driving pressure increments. RESULTS: Pneumothorax was observed with a PIP of 90.5 ± 15.7 cm H2O with no statistically significant differences between the PEEP group (92 ± 14.8 cm H2O) and the zero PEEP group (89 ± 18.2 cm H2O). The zero PEEP group had hypotension, with a PIP of 35 cm H2O; the PEEP group had hypotension, with a PIP of 60 cm H2O (P = .01). The zero PEEP group presented bradycardia, with PIP of 40 cm H2O; the PEEP group presented bradycardia, with PIP of 70 cm H2O (P = .002). CONCLUSIONS: Performing recruitment maneuvers in newborns without lung disease is a safe procedure in terms of pneumothorax. Pneumothorax does not seem to occur in the clinically relevant PIPs of <50 cm H2O. Hemodynamic impairment may occur with high driving pressures. More studies are needed to determine the exact hemodynamic impact of these procedures and pneumothorax PIP in poorly compliant lungs.