NHS conducts first net zero operation: Surgeons return to work and wear reusable PPE

An NHS hospital performed today the first “net-zero” operation, considered a world first.

Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust teaching hospitals have had their carbon footprint near zero during cancer surgery at Solihull Hospital.

Doctors have accomplished this by using recycled equipment, cycling to work and using LED lighting that emits less greenhouse gases.

They also used an injectable liquid anesthetic to keep the patient asleep instead of gas.

CO2 emissions are down 80 percent compared to regular colon cancer surgery, the rest being offset by planting trees.

The project was created to demonstrate how green policies can be implemented in the rest of healthcare.

The NHS as a whole represents 6% of the UK’s total carbon footprint.

Operating rooms account for a quarter of all hospital emissions, despite only 5% of patients requiring surgery.

Hospital doctors often used gowns, sheets, cleaning caps, and other reusable items that were worn only once for surgery.

Consultant Surgeon Dr Aneel Bhangu said: “Operating rooms are labor-intensive environments and contribute to 25% of the Trust’s CO2 emissions.

“We can’t achieve net zero healthcare systems without making surgery greener, so this is an important proof-of-concept step.”

“Significant” measures to make healthcare more environmentally friendly require “behavioral changes”.

“We look forward to working with our UK counterparts to make a greater impact on the NHS right now.”

Doctors at the hospital used gowns, sheets, caps, and other reusable items that were often worn only once for surgery and then discarded.

Direct emissions of anesthetic gas, a greenhouse gas, are completely eliminated by using liquid anesthetic.

This method of administration can be as safe and effective as gas inhalation, provided the physician is properly trained.

Instead of using their cars, the two surgeons who performed the surgery went to work by running and cycling, respectively.

Night heating and night lighting have also been reduced.

The carbon footprint was calculated using a specially designed tool by experts from the University of Birmingham led by Dr Dmitri Nepogodiev.

Three trees were planted on the hospital grounds to make up the final 20 percent needed to reach net zero.

Tim Jones, UHB’s Chief Innovation Officer, said, “I want to thank Aneel and her colleagues for their work in achieving the first net zero operation on the NHS.

“As a large NHS organisation, we know that UHB has a significant environmental footprint, but we do everything we can to reduce this as much as possible while providing the care and care our patients need.

“Hopefully this net-zero operation is the first of many, not only in the UHB but also in the NHS”.

Dr Lesley Booth, Director of Research at Bowel Research UK, said: ‘Reducing the environmental impact of surgery is extremely important for improving overall health.

“We know that climate change and air pollution have serious health consequences, many of which can only be measured in the next few years.

“I would like my intervention in a hospital that cares about the environment and shows its commitment to patient and community health”.