The consumption of nitrous oxide used for general anesthesia has been markedly reduced in recent years in our institute
Yoshimura, E.; Ushijima, K.
Masui. Japanese Journal of Anesthesiology 54(8): 904-905
2005
ISSN/ISBN: 0021-4892 PMID: 16104547 Document Number: 586001
We reported the incidence of general anesthesia using nitrous oxide (N2O), one of the greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, and the total consumption of N2O in our institute in 1990, 1995, 2000, and 2004. Nitrous oxide was used in 93%, 97%, 89%, and 49% of general anesthesia in 1990, 1995, 2000, and 2004, respectively. The consumption of N2O was markedly reduced from 1,314 kl in 1990 to 413 kl in 2004. In 1996, propofol was introduced for total intravenous anesthesia. Moreover, low flow anesthesia (total gas flow not exceeding 2 l (.) min(-1)) was vigorously introduced. We consequently decreased the amount of N2O consumed during inhalational anesthesia despite the increase in cases of general anesthesia in recent years.