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?"

Question

What is the nursing instructor's best response?
A) "The PACU allows the patient to recover from anesthesia in a stimulating environment to facilitate awakening and reorientation."
B) "The PACU allows the patient to recover from the effects of anesthesia, and the patient stays in the PACU until he or she is oriented, has stable vital signs, and is without complications."
C) "Frequently, patients are placed in the medical–surgical unit to recover, but hospitals are usually short of beds, and the PACU is an excellent place to triage patients."
D) "Patients remain in the PACU for a predetermined time because the surgeon will often need to reinforce or alter the patient's incision in the hours following surgery."

Answer 1

Ans: B
Feedback:
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 medical–surgical 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.