Waste anesthetic gas exposure and strategies for solution

“…Waste anesthetic gases have short-term and long-term health implication. However, the side-effect of WAG on healthcare workers who exposed for a long time are still controversial 4,10 . Exposure to WAG in short time associated with multiple problems such as headaches, irritability, fatigue, nausea, drowsiness, decrease work efficiency and difficulty with judgment and coordination which disappeared after the person left the workplace 5,10 .…”

Section: Waste Anesthetic Gases Health Implicationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Waste Anesthetic Gase : A Forgotten Problems

Miarta¹,

Lestari²,

Zulkifli³

2020

JACR

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

ABSTRACT Waste anesthetic gas (WAG) is a small amount of inhaled anesthetic gas that comes out of the patient’s anesthesia breathing circuit into the envorinment air while the patient is under anesthesia. According to American Occupation Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) more than 200.000 healthcare workers especially aneaesthesiologist, surgery nurse, obstetrician and surgeons are at risk of developing work-related disease due to chronic exposure to WAG. Exposure to WAG in short time associated with multiple problems such as headaches, irritability, fatigue, nausea, drowsiness, decrease work efficiency and difficulty with judgment and coordination. While chronic exposure of WAG is associated with genotoxicity, mutagenicity, oxidative stress, fatigue, headache, irritability, nausea, nephrotoxic, neurotoxic, hepatotoxic, immunosuppressive and reproductive toxicological effect. Waste anesthetic gases are known as environmental pollutants and will be released from the OR to the outside environment then the substance will reach the atmosphere damaging ozone layer. Exposure to trace WAG in the perioperative environment cannot be eliminated completely, but it can be controlled. Controlling WAG can be achieve by using scavenging system, proper ventilation, airway management, ideal anesthetic choice, maintaining anesthesia machine and equipment, hospital regulation and routine healthcare workers health status examination.

show abstract

“…With the advantage of low solubility in blood and high controllability, inhalation anesthetics are widely used in the operating room (OR), dental clinic, delivery room, MRI room and intensive care unit [ 1 , 2 ]. Despite many improvements in the anesthesia equipment and the production of safer anesthetic agents during the past decades, inhalation anesthetics, including halothane, isoflurane, sevoflurane, desflurane, and nitrous oxide (N 2 O), inevitably cause waste anesthetic gases (WAGs) in the workplace [ 3 , 4 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of sevoflurane exposure on apoptosis and cell cycle of peripheral blood lymphocytes, and immunologic function

Jiang

Zhou

et al. 2021

BMC Anesthesiol

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background Waste anesthetic gases (WAGs) leaked from new-type halogenated inhalational anesthetics such as sevoflurane have been were reported to pose a risk for the health of operating room personnel. The effects of WAGs on peripheral blood lymphocytes, however, remain yet controversial. The present study was undertaken to examine the effects of occupational sevoflurane exposure on the peripheral blood lymphocytes of medical personnel who work in the operating room. Methods A cohort of 56 medical residents were divided into exposed group (n = 28) and control group (non-exposed group) (n = 28). Gas chromatography was used to measure the concentration of sevoflurane in the medical resident’s breathing zone during surgeries under inhalation anesthesia in the exposure group. The gas collection lasted an hour. Peripheral blood lymphocytes were isolated from venous blood, and then apoptosis and cell cycle were analyzed by flow cytometry. EDTA-anticoagulated whole blood was harvested to analyze the lymphocyte subsets by flow cytometry. Immunoglobulins (IgA, IgM, IgG) were quantified by immunoturbidimetry. Results The average concentration of sevoflurane in the exposed group was 1.03 ppm with a range from 0.03 ppm to 2.24 ppm. No significant effects were found on the apoptosis rates or cell cycles of peripheral blood lymphocytes in the exposed group relative to the control group (P > 0.05). Similarly, there were no significant differences in the lymphocyte subsets or the levels of immunoglobulins (IgA, IgM, IgG) between the two groups (P > 0.05). Conclusions Occupational exposure to low-level sevoflurane has no significant effect on the peripheral blood lymphocytes of operating room staff, but this conclusion needs to be confirmed by multicenter and long-term follow-up studies with large samples. Trial registration number and date of registration ChiCTR2000040772, December 9, 2020 (Retrospective registration).

show abstract

Waste anesthetic gas exposure and strategies for solution

Cited by 28 publications

References 101 publications

Practice pattern of fresh gas flow and volatile agent choices among anesthesiologists working in different Indian hospitals: An online survey

Practice pattern of fresh gas flow and volatile agent choices among anesthesiologists working in different Indian hospitals: An online survey

Waste Anesthetic Gase : A Forgotten Problems

Effects of sevoflurane exposure on apoptosis and cell cycle of peripheral blood lymphocytes, and immunologic function

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About