A group of anaesthetists from Royal North Shore Hospital (RNSH) has been awarded funding as part of the NSW Health Sustainable Futures Innovation Fund.
A team of anaesthetists will work alongside chemical engineers from The University of New South Wales (UNSW) to develop a device that will have the capability of removing a significant portion of greenhouse gases from the operating theatre before it reaches the environment.
Anaesthetists Ben Olesnicky, Andrew Lindberg and Carl D’Souza will be developing the device that will convert greenhouse gases into a harmless biproduct.
Once created and successfully tested, a clinical prototype would be adapted to fit all current anaesthetic machines in use across the state.
“The device will use an ultraviolet light to convert the anaesthetic gas to harmless biproduct, which will ensure no harmful exposure to patients, staff or the general population,” Mr Olesnicky said. “The product isn’t necessarily about reducing the amount of gases we use, but rather reducing their effect on the environment.”
