Leading Sustainability Changes in Anesthesiology

Anesthesia has a unique opportunity to significantly reduce the environmental impact, cost, and carbon footprint of surgical care. Dr Praveen Kalra has been systematically improving the environmental sustainability of the Stanford Medicine Interventional Platform through engagement, collaboration, and quality improvement.

Dr. Kalra’s first sustainability initiative was the elimination of Desflurane, a potent greenhouse gas, from the Anesthesia cart. In the process he engaged every Anesthesiologist and department Leadership around sustainability, an exercise that led to the development of the Anesthesia Green Team: the first Green Team at Stanford Health Care.

Dr. Kalra is an educator and advocate for best practices. In this role, he has educated on sustainability during numerous grand rounds, developed a Green Rotation for residents in the OR, and has presented at national conferences on the environmental impacts of surgical care.

The Anesthesia Green Team has developed a guiding strategy, prioritizing initiatives that are achievable and have measurable impact. The team has introduced reusables, collaborated with EVS on hazardous waste reduction, and started Blue Wrap recycling. Dr. Kalra also assists other departments to address waste in their area of influence.

Dr. Kalra has further reduced the cost and carbon footprint of anesthesia care by completing a quality improvement initiative that prevents propofol waste by allowing anesthesiologists to easily calculate the total dose needed for each case. Building on the success of these initiatives, Dr. Kalra is now evaluating opportunities to reduce waste of nitrous oxide gasses in the hospital.

Initiatives have resulted in a reduced carbon footprint of anesthesia gasses by 80% (Scope 1 emissions), increased the use of reusables, minimized hazardous waste generation, and engaged and organized a team of environmental leaders in the Interventional Platform

Stanford Medicine Anesthesia Green Team

Recipient of the inaugural Sustainability Ambassador Award by the Stanford Health Care (SHC) Sustainability Program Office

SHC procurement team member for Environmental Preferable Purchasing

Member of American Society of Anesthesia task force on Environmental Health Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) and Fundamentals of Critical Care Support Instructor (FCCS) (2009-2013)

Awarded Fellowship of College of Chest Physicians (FCCP)

Advanced Trauma Life Support Certified (2010-2014)

Invited International and National Speaker

Published work includes 15 posters, 17 book chapters, 3 studies, 1 book review (Millers Anesthesia 7th edition), 2 Departmental Guidelines