What are the discharge criteria for discharge from the PACU?

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.