Services & Support Professionals

Post-Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU)

The post-anesthesia nurse's job is the care of surgical patients who are emerging from anesthesia. Once surgical patients are stabilized, they are transported to appropriate nursing care units.

Because they deal with anesthetized patients, the post-anesthesia nurse must be skilled in patient assessment. They must rely on objective data gained through monitoring and observation, while taking into account the patient’s medical history. They must also be proficient in the use of high-tech patient monitoring equipment, and able to intervene to stabilize patients experiencing respiratory and cardiovascular difficulties.

CMMC's Post-Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU) staff cares for 20 to 30 patients per day, and the average post-anesthesia stay for each patient is about 60 minutes. About 60 percent of CMMC’s PACU patients are same-day surgery patients who are discharged the same day they have surgery.