Should anesthesiologists worry about climate change exposure in patients? A scoping review

Introduction: The healthcare industry, especially anesthesia, is a significant contributor of greenhouse gas emissions; however, we do not know whether climate change affects anesthesia outcomes. Our objective was to assess the current understanding of the effects of climate change on anesthesia out...

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Main Authors: Nikhila Yerabandi, Jenny H. Chang, Kimberly P. Woo, Mary Schleicher, Ilyssa O. Gordon, Benjamin T. Miller, Ursula Galway
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-03-01
Series:The Journal of Climate Change and Health
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667278224000312
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author Nikhila Yerabandi
Jenny H. Chang
Kimberly P. Woo
Mary Schleicher
Ilyssa O. Gordon
Benjamin T. Miller
Ursula Galway
author_facet Nikhila Yerabandi
Jenny H. Chang
Kimberly P. Woo
Mary Schleicher
Ilyssa O. Gordon
Benjamin T. Miller
Ursula Galway
author_sort Nikhila Yerabandi
collection DOAJ
description Introduction: The healthcare industry, especially anesthesia, is a significant contributor of greenhouse gas emissions; however, we do not know whether climate change affects anesthesia outcomes. Our objective was to assess the current understanding of the effects of climate change on anesthesia outcomes. Methods: We performed a comprehensive search of all literature on pediatric and adult anesthesia outcomes as a result of climate change and related extreme weather events. Results: Our search yielded 4,702 articles, out of which one met our inclusion criteria. The relevant study in our final analysis focused on adverse pediatric anesthesia outcomes after wildfire smoke exposure and found that patients with a history of reactive airway disease were at a higher risk of an adverse anesthesia outcome when exposed to unhealthy air. Conclusions: The current research on the impact of climate change on anesthesia outcomes is extremely scarce. Climate change has many effects on various organ systems, and, especially in conjunction with comorbidities, may affect anesthesia outcomes. Further research is needed to better understand perioperative complications related to climate change that can affect the health of patients requiring anesthesia.
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series The Journal of Climate Change and Health
spelling doaj-art-f14faedbcaff47eab5b31a5fa2e332832025-08-20T02:16:10ZengElsevierThe Journal of Climate Change and Health2667-27822025-03-012210032810.1016/j.joclim.2024.100328Should anesthesiologists worry about climate change exposure in patients? A scoping reviewNikhila Yerabandi0Jenny H. Chang1Kimberly P. Woo2Mary Schleicher3Ilyssa O. Gordon4Benjamin T. Miller5Ursula Galway6Case Western Reserve University, School of Medicine, 9501 Euclid Ave, Cleveland, OH 44106, USACleveland Clinic, Department of General Surgery, 9500 Euclid Ave, Cleveland, OH 44195, USA; Correspondence author at: 216-906-4236, 9500 Euclid Ave A100, Cleveland, OH 44195, USA.Cleveland Clinic, Department of General Surgery, 9500 Euclid Ave, Cleveland, OH 44195, USACleveland Clinic Floyd D. Loop Alumni Library, 9500 Euclid Ave, Cleveland, OH 44195, USACleveland Clinic, Department of Pathology and Cleveland Clinic, Sustainability, 9500 Euclid Ave, Cleveland, OH 44195, USACleveland Clinic, Department of General Surgery, 9500 Euclid Ave, Cleveland, OH 44195, USACleveland Clinic, Department of Anesthesiology, 2049 East 100th St, Cleveland, OH 44106, USAIntroduction: The healthcare industry, especially anesthesia, is a significant contributor of greenhouse gas emissions; however, we do not know whether climate change affects anesthesia outcomes. Our objective was to assess the current understanding of the effects of climate change on anesthesia outcomes. Methods: We performed a comprehensive search of all literature on pediatric and adult anesthesia outcomes as a result of climate change and related extreme weather events. Results: Our search yielded 4,702 articles, out of which one met our inclusion criteria. The relevant study in our final analysis focused on adverse pediatric anesthesia outcomes after wildfire smoke exposure and found that patients with a history of reactive airway disease were at a higher risk of an adverse anesthesia outcome when exposed to unhealthy air. Conclusions: The current research on the impact of climate change on anesthesia outcomes is extremely scarce. Climate change has many effects on various organ systems, and, especially in conjunction with comorbidities, may affect anesthesia outcomes. Further research is needed to better understand perioperative complications related to climate change that can affect the health of patients requiring anesthesia.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667278224000312AnesthesiaClimate changeAnesthesia outcomesUnhealthy airWildfire smokeComorbidities
spellingShingle Nikhila Yerabandi
Jenny H. Chang
Kimberly P. Woo
Mary Schleicher
Ilyssa O. Gordon
Benjamin T. Miller
Ursula Galway
Should anesthesiologists worry about climate change exposure in patients? A scoping review
The Journal of Climate Change and Health
Anesthesia
Climate change
Anesthesia outcomes
Unhealthy air
Wildfire smoke
Comorbidities
title Should anesthesiologists worry about climate change exposure in patients? A scoping review
title_full Should anesthesiologists worry about climate change exposure in patients? A scoping review
title_fullStr Should anesthesiologists worry about climate change exposure in patients? A scoping review
title_full_unstemmed Should anesthesiologists worry about climate change exposure in patients? A scoping review
title_short Should anesthesiologists worry about climate change exposure in patients? A scoping review
title_sort should anesthesiologists worry about climate change exposure in patients a scoping review
topic Anesthesia
Climate change
Anesthesia outcomes
Unhealthy air
Wildfire smoke
Comorbidities
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667278224000312
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