2026 Critical Care Congress Skip to main content
2026 Critical Care Congress Main banner
Final Program


Advance Program
Icon Legend
This session is not in your schedule.
This session is in your schedule. Click again to remove it.
Session Icons
Thought Leader Session
Thought Leader Session
Guidelines Session
Guidelines Session
Aging Adult Track
Aging Adult Track
Additional Registration Fee
Additional Registration Fee

Research Snapshot Theater: Environmental Sustainability in the ICU, Adult and Pediatric

The Impact of Optimizing Electrolyte Management on Carbon Footprint, Waste, and Workload

Tuesday, March 24, 2026
11:15 AM - 12:15 PM Central Time
Location: Connections Central - RST 12
Introduction: Electrolyte administration is common in critically ill patients but often associated with over-repletion and unnecessary intravenous use, contributing to increased environmental impact and workload. This study evaluated the impact of a quality improvement intervention for electrolyte management, the Green-Lyte, on carbon footprint, waste generation, and workload.


Methods: This was a before-and-after study conducted in the adult intensive care units. A multimodal intervention was implemented for optimal use of electrolytes, which included prescribing criteria, educational sessions, and follow-up/feedback. Electrolytes were potassium, magnesium, and phosphorus. Prescribing criteria addressed when to administer electrolytes and the recommended route (intravenous or oral). Data collected included the number of electrolyte prescriptions and routes of administration. We evaluated the carbon footprint of the prescribed products, weight of the generated waste, as well as time necessary for preparation and administration. Descriptive statistics compared data from two months before and after the intervention.


Results: In the pre-intervention period, 252 electrolyte prescriptions were recorded, with 249 (98.8%) being intravenous, compared to 197 prescriptions and 119 (60.4%) being intravenous post-implementation (21.8% decrease in the prescribed electrolytes and 52.2% decrease in intravenous formulations). The intervention was associated with a 35.8% decrease in carbon footprint, as demonstrated by the CO₂ emissions: 307 kg CO₂e pre-intervention and 197 kg CO₂e post-intervention. The total waste dropped by 40.5%, with 1,773 items versus 1,054 items used in the pre- and post-intervention periods, respectively. This was associated with a 36.9% reduction in the weight of generated waste (103.6 kg vs 65.4 kg). Post-intervention, the time required for preparation of electrolyte replacements decreased by 20% and the administration time was reduced by 35.4%.


Conclusions: A multimodal quality improvement intervention to optimize electrolyte management in critically ill patients was associated with a decrease in carbon footprint, generated waste, and workload. Future studies should evaluate the impact of such changes on patient outcomes and overall cost.