Major medical group wipes study advocating doctors give less anesthesia to reduce carbon footprint
Author: Thomas Catenacci
The American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) deleted an article from its website this week highlighting research and comments from a doctor who advocates for reducing anesthetic gas in surgery to combat climate change. "ASA pulled the news release from our site because it was inaccurate," ASA spokesperson Theresa Hill told Fox News Digital in an email. The now-deleted article stated that inhaled anesthetics used during general anesthesia are responsible for up to 0.1% of the world's total carbon dioxide emissions. During a single hour of surgery in which the inhaled anesthetic desflurane is used, it continued, roughly the same amount of carbon emissions are produced as a car driving up to 470 miles. Climate activists have argued that governments need to quickly cut back on carbon emissions to fight global warming. "Anesthesiologists can play a role in reducing the greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to global warming by decreasing the amount of anesthetic gas provided during procedures without compromising patient care," the ASA release stated.