Akron Children's Uses Epic and Real-Time Analytics to Reduce Waste Anesthesia Gases

Why It Matters

The program shows how health‑IT can transform clinical workflows into measurable climate benefits, offering a scalable template for hospitals to reduce emissions and operational costs.

Key Takeaways

• Waste gases 5‑10% of hospital emissions.
• Low‑flow reminders cut nitrous oxide 5% instantly.
• Project WAGER cut nitrous use 85% overall.
• Total fresh‑gas flow down 50% with 20% more minutes.
• AdaptX provides near‑real‑time analytics for anesthesia.

Pulse Analysis

Hospitals are increasingly scrutinized for their carbon footprints, and anesthesia gases have emerged as a hidden but significant source of emissions. Nitrous oxide and sevoflurane possess global warming potentials hundreds of times greater than carbon dioxide, and at Akron Children’s they accounted for up to ten percent of total greenhouse‑gas output. By embedding low‑flow prompts directly into the Epic electronic health record and on anesthesia workstations, clinicians received real‑time cues to reduce gas flow without compromising patient safety, turning a technical adjustment into a sustainability lever.

The data‑driven approach deepened when the institution partnered with AdaptX, a platform that extracts minute‑by‑minute anesthesia metrics from Epic each night. This near‑real‑time visibility allowed anesthesiologists and CRNAs to benchmark their gas usage against peers, spot outliers, and iterate quickly. Simple visual reminders yielded a 5% nitrous oxide reduction, while monthly analytics dashboards supported a broader cultural shift that ultimately slashed nitrous use by more than 85% and cut total fresh‑gas flow in half, even as anesthesia minutes rose 20%.

These results illustrate a replicable pathway for health systems seeking both environmental stewardship and cost efficiency. Real‑time analytics transform raw EHR data into actionable insights, enabling rapid feedback loops and continuous improvement. As more hospitals join collaborative networks like Project Spruce, the collective impact could translate into hundreds of metric tons of CO₂‑equivalent emissions avoided annually, reinforcing the role of health‑IT as a catalyst for sustainable clinical practice.