PACU stands for Post Anesthesia Care Unit, which is a critical care unit where patients are temporarily admitted after any surgical procedures. The PACU is a part of hospitals, ambulatory care centers, and other medical facilities. The nursing staff in the PACU is skilled in recognizing and managing problems in patients after receiving anesthesia. The PACU is under the direction of the Department of Anesthesiology.

When a patient is admitted to the PACU, their vital signs are closely observed, pain management begins, and fluids are given. The length of stay in the PACU varies depending on factors such as the type of surgery, the patients response to surgery and anesthesia, and medical history. The PACU staff monitor the patients respiratory rate and saturation of oxygen to ensure they remain as close to baseline as possible while the heart rate and blood pressure remain within 20% of their baseline values.

The PACU staff also monitor for complications such as tachypnea, bradypnea, SpO2 <93%, anxiety, confusion, or agitation with resulting tachycardia and hypertension. Life-threatening complications that are monitored in PACU include laryngospasm, respiratory arrest, airway edema, and others. Pain medicine is initiated in the PACU, and the patients pain control regimen may take the form of pills, injections, or patient-controlled analgesia (PCA), sometimes called a "pain pump".

Visitation in the PACU is limited to avoid the risk of infection to other patients and to permit the staff to concentrate on the care of these post-surgical patients. Visitors must be accompanied by a PACU staff member, and the visit is limited to five minutes. Visitors must not bring food or drink, cell phones, or cameras into the PACU.

In summary, PACU is a critical care unit where patients are temporarily admitted after any surgical procedures. The nursing staff in the PACU is skilled in recognizing and managing problems in patients after receiving anesthesia. The length of stay in the PACU varies depending on factors such as the type of surgery, the patients response to surgery and anesthesia, and medical history. The PACU staff monitor the patients vital signs, pain, and complications. Visitation in the PACU is limited to avoid the risk of infection to other patients and to permit the staff to concentrate on the care of these post-surgical patients.