The nursing instructor is discussing postoperative care with a group of nursing students. A student nurse asks, Why does the patient go to the PACU instead of just going straight up to the postsurgical unit? What is the nursing instructors best response?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The PACU provides care for the patient while he or she recovers from the effects of anesthesia. The patient must be oriented, have stable vital signs, and show no evidence of hemorrhage or other complications. Patients will sometimes recover in the ICU, but this is considered an extension of the PACU. The PACU does allow the patient to recover from anesthesia, but the environment is calm and quiet as patients are initially disoriented and confused as they begin to awaken and reorient. Patients are not usually placed in the medicalsurgical unit for recovery and, although hospitals are occasionally short of beds, the PACU is not used for patient triage. Incisions are very rarely modified in the immediate postoperative period.

The Nursing Instructor Is Discussing Postoperative Care with a Group