Consider the environment before giving anaesthetic gas to women during childbirth, Irish midwives say
A majority of midwives believe the harmful effect of nitrous oxide on the environment should be taken into account when deciding whether to give it to women when they give birth, a new study has found
A majority of midwives believe the environmental impact of nitrous oxide should be considered when deciding whether to offer the anaesthetic gas to women during labour, a new study has found.
Nitrous oxide is commonly used in Irish maternity hospitals to help women cope with pain during childbirth, and is self-administered by the patient by using an inhalation nozzle.
However, it is one of the most environmentally harmful anaesthetic gases, and its use during a woman’s labour has been compared to driving a vehicle 1,400km in terms of carbon emissions.
Research by staff members at the Department of Anaesthesiology in the Rotunda Hospital and Coombe Hospital in Dublin has revealed that two in three midwives are unaware of this environmental impact.
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It also found that three-quarters of the midwives surveyed as part of the study felt that pregnant women should be made aware of the harmful effect that the gas has on the environment.
A majority of the midwives – just over 56 percent – agreed that the environmental impact of nitrous oxide should be taken into consideration when deciding whether to offer it to a woman in labour.
This was despite the fact that almost 60 percent of survey respondents felt that it would not be possible to provide labour anaesthesia without using nitrous oxide.
The research, which was published in the latest issue of the Irish Medical Journal, intended to assess midwives’ knowledge of the environmental impact of using nitrous oxide for labour analgesia, as well as their attitudes to it.
The authors said it was widely recognised as one of the most environmentally harmful anaesthetic gases due to its significant global warming potential and its lifespan of 120 years.
In Scotland, the National Health Service (NHS) has introduced a mitigation plan with the intention of reducing and eventually eliminating the gas from clinical use.
“The harmful effects of [nitrous oxide] can be mitigated in various other ways such as reducing leakage from existing manifold pipes, or through gas-capture technologies which ‘crack’ [the gas] into inert nitrogen and oxygen,” the authors said, noting that this can cost more than €230,000.
“A collaborative strategy involving expectant mothers, delivery suite teams, and antenatal services to investigate and discuss a comprehensive range of pharmacological and non-pharmacological options may be the most appropriate way forward,” they added.
“The future of nitrous oxide as a labour analgesic requires prompt review.”
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