Desflurane: Use of carbon emitting anaesthetic to end in England

NHS England has said that it will use the anaesthetic desflurane only in exceptional circumstances by early 2024 as part of its ambitions to reduce carbon emissions under its control to zero by 2040.

Desflurane is a volatile anaesthetic that has a global warming potential 2500 times greater than carbon dioxide, but less polluting alternatives, such as regional anaesthesia and other general anaesthesia gases, are available.

Anaesthetic and …