Sustainability
Operating Room Fast Facts
- The operating room is typically the largest generator of waste (20-33% of facility total) and largest generator of regulated medical waste.
- It is also one of the most energy-intensive departments within a hospital.
- Almost 80% of packaging waste from procedures is generated before the patient enters the OR.
We Practice Low Flow Anesthesia
To practice low flow anesthesia:
- Turn off the FLOW, NOT the vaporizer, during intubation
- Keep total flow <1 LPM during the maintenance phase of anesthesia
- Use high fresh gas flow (<1 min ventilation) for rapid change in anesthetic depth
- Monitor end-tidal oxygen and inhalational anesthesia concentration for safety
Committee Members
Faculty: Drs Ankit Jain, Efrain Riveros-Perez, Nicolas Avila, Akbar Herekar, Stevin Dubin, Sheryl Ang; APPs: Nadia Lee, Megan Mueller