Anaesthetic gases

Anaesthetics are an important part of many healthcare provisions at NHS Wales. However, most anaesthetics contain the harmful greenhouse gas "nitrous oxide" This gas has 265 times the global warming potential of carbon dioxide.

Findings by Cardiff and Vale University Health Board have shown leakages and a loss of gas from the main supply are a major problem for anaesthetics. Not only does this harm our planet, but it also wastes money.

To tackle this, the health board trialled portable nitrous oxide cylinders rather than accessing anaesthetics through a piped supply.

They found a massive increase in efficiency, from 2.5% to 74%. This highlighted the effectiveness of updating resources to environmentally friendly alternatives. The older, wasteful system has now been successfully decommissioned and the project team are rolling this out across the wider NHS Wales.