Standards of Post-Anesthesia Nursing Practice

Post-anesthesia nurses care for patients in the post-anesthesia care unit (PACU). PACU patients have just come out of surgery. Post-anesthesia nurses provide care and keep post-surgery patients as comfortable as possible while monitoring their initial recovery.

Nursing Requirements

• PACU nurses are directly responsible for the care of post-operative patients, according to "Postanesthesia Care Unit." Clinical anesthesiology PACU nurses are trained to manage airways, know basic life support, are able to care for surgical wounds and drain a variety of catheters. Post-anesthesia nurses also know how to care for patients coming out of anesthesia; they meet the special needs of patients as they regain consciousness.

Patient Considerations

• As patients begin to awake from anesthesia, they are likely to have more medical concerns and need more attention than at any other point in their post-operative recovery. For the first 15 minutes, one nurse will care exclusively for one patient. Once a patient is alert, a nurse can care for two to three patients at once. Patients who are stable, conscious and underwent minor surgery require even less care as their time in the PACU progresses. Patients who are unstable and on breathing machines require constant attention.

Care Time

• It is estimated a nurse spends an hour taking care of, and discharging, a patient from the PACU. This includes admitting the patient, caring for the patient, discharging the patient from the PACU, and completing all paperwork.