Tackling the environmental impact of nitrous oxide emission

Under the agreement, BPR will distribute and provide support for Medclair’s MDU device, which when combined with BPR’s Ultraflow demand valve and a gas scavenging system, captures nitrous oxide and converts 99% of the gas to harmless nitrogen and oxygen.

Nitrous oxide is used by 80% of women in labour in the UK. It is also used widely in other hospital departments, from endoscopy to dentistry. The gas is one of the most environmentally harmful anaesthetic gases, with a global warming potential 298 times that of carbon dioxide (CO₂). 

Jonas Lundh, CEO of Medclair, said: “Capturing and converting nitrous oxide emissions could reduce NHS anaesthetic gas emissions by a third if the technology was implemented across all Hospital Trusts in the UK. The agreement with BPR, which has a strong presence and reputation in the market with its inhaled analgesia products, is a major step forward in our goal of supporting the NHS with its environmental targets.”

Richard Radford, managing director of BPR Medical, said: “The NHS has one of the most developed nitrous oxide programmes in the world. It delivers safe, efficient pain relief to hundreds of patients every day. But the gas has a significant impact on the environment and can also affect working conditions for staff. 

“There is now a solution though, which has been successfully deployed in Scandinavia for almost two decades and is already being used in hospitals across the UK. Our agreement with Medclair means we can continue to help more Trusts play their part in achieving ‘net zero’ goals and meet audit standards.

“As innovators of safer medical gas therapy, we are bringing together our Ultraflow analgesia system and Medclair’s MDU technology to extend our commitment to improving patient care and the work environment for healthcare professionals.”