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Chapter: Clinical Cases in Anesthesia : Postanesthesia Care Unit Discharge Criteria

What are the discharge criteria for discharge from the PACU?

Discharge of patients to home after surgery and anes-thesia is safest when predetermined discharge criteria are rigorously applied to all patients.

What are the discharge criteria for discharge from the PACU?

 

Discharge of patients to home after surgery and anes-thesia is safest when predetermined discharge criteria are rigorously applied to all patients. Although criteria may vary somewhat from center to center, the following sum-marizes what is typically done on discharge.

 

Examination

 

·   Stable vital signs for at least 30 minutes and consistent with the patient’s age and preanesthetic examination.

·   Ability to swallow and cough.

·   Ability to walk or return to preoperative status.

·   Minimal nausea, vomiting, and dizziness allowing for the ability to swallow and retain liquids and to ambulate.

·   Absence of any respiratory distress.

·   Alert and oriented.

·   No surgical contraindication to discharge (e.g., excessive pain, bleeding, etc.).

 

Instructions to the Patient

 

·   You may experience sleepiness or fatigue and should not drive, operate machinery, or make any complex deci-sions until tomorrow.

 

·   You may have a sore throat and should gargle with dilute salt water or take acetaminophen.

 

·   You may experience muscular soreness that may also be treated with acetaminophen (this is more likely if suc-cinylcholine has been administered).

 

·   In case of any unforeseen emergent problem, call … [provide an emergency telephone number to contact].

 

·        An adult escort has to accompany you home. (Availability of an escort should be ascertained prior to starting surgery.)

 

Follow-up

 

·     A member of the anesthesia care team should call the patient the day after surgery and confirm that there are no complaints and that their recovery is as expected.

 

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Clinical Cases in Anesthesia : Postanesthesia Care Unit Discharge Criteria : What are the discharge criteria for discharge from the PACU? |


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