Tag: nitrous oxide and local warming

NITROUS OXIDE: SHOULD WE USE IT?

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When I was training, we used nitrous oxide on just about every anesthetic. It was easy to use. It was inexpensive. It didn’t tend to effect hemodynamics so it was useful in less stable patients when combined with an opioid. It helped speed induction through the second gas effect. It was not metabolized so renal and liver insufficiency were of less concern.

However, a lot more is now known about the pharmacologic disadvantages, and potential harm, of nitrous oxide in certain patients. N2O interferes with the B12/folate pathway and methylates DNA. This discussion reviews some of those patients at risk of harm from nitrous oxide exposure during anesthesia. Read More …

Can Changing Our Anesthesia Practice Help Save The Polar Bears?

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When we administer anesthesia, we pay a great deal of attention to the concentration of nitrous oxide and halogenated agents such as sevoflurane or desflurane that our patient receives. We know that too much or too little of these gases can harm our patients. We are often less compulsive about avoiding exposure to ourselves, or even our Operating Room colleagues to waste anesthetic gases. There are health risks to waste anesthesia gas exposure. In addition, nitrous oxide and our anesthetic inhalation gases are green house gases that contribute to climate change. Read More …