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| Copyright © European Society of Anaesthesiology. Unauthorized reproduction of this article is prohibited. Quality and safety guidelines of postanaesthesia care
 Working Party on Post Anaesthesia Care (approved by the
 European Board and Section of Anaesthesiology,
 Union Europe´ enne des Me´ decins Spe´ cialistes)
 Laszlo Vimlatia, Fernando Gilsanzb and Zeev Goldikc
 Postanaesthesia care units are standard parts of hospital
 care in most European Union countries. Their main purpose
 is to identify and immediately treat early complications of
 surgery or anaesthesia, before they develop into
 deleterious problems. This review, prepared by the Working
 Party on Post Anaesthesia Care of the European Board of
 Anaesthesiology.M European Union of Medical Specialists
 (Union Europe´ enne des Me´ decins Spe´ cialistes) and
 approved by the European Board and Section of
 Anaesthesiology, gives recommendations on relevant
 aspects of organization, responsibilities, methods, safety
 and quality control of postanaesthesia care. Eur J
 Anaesthesiol 26:715–721 Q 2009 European Society of
 Anaesthesiology.
 European Journal of Anaesthesiology 2009, 26:715–721
 Keywords: audit, postanaesthesia care unit, recovery, safety and quality,
 standards of care
 The areas of expertise of anaesthesiology are perioperative anaesthesia care,
 emergency medicine, intensive care medicine, pain medicine and reanimation;
 EBA Honorary President, Jannicke Mellin-Olsen, Norway; Vice President, Seppo
 Alahuhta, Finland; Honorary Secretary, Ellen O’Sullivan, Ireland).
 aDepartment of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care, University of Szeged, Szeged,
 Hungary, bHospital Universitario La Paz, Madrid, Spain and cCarmel Medical
 Center, Post Anaesthesia Care Unit, Haifa, Israel
 Correspondence to Laszlo Vimlati, Department of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care
 Medicine, University of Szeged, Semmelweis str. 6, 6725 Szeged, Hungary
 E-mail: [email protected]
 Received 13 March 2009 Accepted 16 March 2009
 1. Purpose of guideline for postanaesthesia care:
 To improve postanaesthesia care outcomes for patients who
 have just had anaesthesia or obstetric care or sedation or
 analgesia care. This is accomplished by evaluating
 available evidence and providing recommendations
 for patient assessment, monitoring and management
 with the goal of optimizing patient safety. It is
 expected that each recommendation will be individualized
 according to the needs of each patient.
 2. Definition of postanaesthesia care:
 Activities undertaken to safely manage the patient following
 completion of a surgical procedure and the concomitant
 primary anaesthetic care, including identification and
 immediate treatment of early complications of both
 anaesthesia and surgery before they develop into deleterious
 consequences.
 3. Definition of postanaesthesia care unit:
 A unit located as close to operating theatres as possible
 in order to avoid unnecessary time loss for transfer of
 unstable patients, staffed and equipped for serving for
 treatment and care of patients during their immediate
 postanaesthesia or post surgery period, regardless of
 the type of interventions, before they are scheduled
 to be admitted to general wards, other units of the
 hospital or discharged home. Postanaesthesia care
 units (PACUs) have to be standards in most hospitals
 of European countries [1,2].
 4. Functions of PACU [1–4]
 – immediate postoperative treatment in the PACU,
 – preoperative optimization of severely ill patients’
 conditions in special situations,
 – titration and optimization of acute pain therapy,
 – buffer before intensive care unit (ICU), high
 dependency unit (HDU) or ward admission,
 – evaluation and determination of further treatment
 on ICU, HDU or ward,
 – improve or optimize patient’s condition for further
 treatment at ICU, HDU or ward.
 – responsibilities: separated by profession and by
 responsibilities although cooperative as well:
 – the anaesthetist: during the recovery period, the
 patient should still be under the supervision of
 the anaesthetist. His or her main tasks during
 recovery period:
 – monitoring and maintenance of vital functions,
 – professional and organizational responsibilities
 in the PACU,
 – to be present or urgently available immediately
 if it seems necessary.
 – the surgeon:
 – should be notified whenever any possible
 surgical complications may require his
 intervention,
 Guidelines 715
 0265-0215  2009 Copyright European Society of Anaesthesiology DOI:10.1097/EJA.0b013e32832bb68f
 Copyright © European Society of Anaesthesiology. Unauthorized reproduction of this article is prohibited.
 – has to be available for urgent consultation if
 it seems necessary.
 5. Who runs the PACU? The majority of PACUs in
 Europe are run by anaesthesiologists, and the
 responsibility for care is also devoted to the
 anaesthesiologist [4].
 6. Patients admitted to the PACU: exclusively postanaesthesia
 or post(peri)operative patients.
 7. Transfer from operating room to PACU:
 – By suitably trained staff,
 – Under the supervision of an anaesthetist,
 – Portable monitoring is recommended if alteration
 or deterioration of patient’s condition may be
 anticipated or the distance of operating room and
 PACU makes it reasonable,
 – Steps should be taken to protect the patient during
 transfer mainly from:
 – traumatic injury,
 – hypoxia,
 – hypothermia,
 – soiling of the airway,
 – accidental disconnections or removal of drains,
 lines, and catheters.
 – Properly designed transfer trolleys or beds are
 needed [5], equipped with:
 – oxygen cylinders, masks, and tubing,
 – infusion poles,
 – equipment(s) to secure and support airway and
 assist ventilation;
 – provision of clamps for drainage tubes,
 – protective ‘sides’,
 – a means to produce head-down tilt.
 – Handover: on arrival to the receiving unit [6]
 – full and formal handover should take place from
 professional to professional,
 – with a completed anaesthetic record together
 with important details of surgery,
 – with specific verbal and written instructions for
 postoperative care,
 – drugs and fluid regimens must be written on
 appropriate charts,
 – the anaesthetist should ensure that recovery
 staff is taking over the responsibility before
 leaving the patient.
 – Observation and record keeping: each patient must
 be kept under continuous clinical observation
 during transport. Physiological parameters should
 be measured and recorded at regular intervals.
 8. Transfer from PACU to the ward:
 – A formal ‘checklist’ is highly recommended
 for the staff to satisfy themselves that the
 patient is fit to be discharged from recovery area
 [7].
 – Documentation accompanying the patient should
 include instructions for:
 – supplemental oxygen,
 – fluid therapy,
 – analgesic and antiemetic regimens,
 – monitoring, if it differs from normal practice of
 the receiving unit,
 – physiotherapy,
 – nursing care provisions.
 9. Minimal requirements and recommendations:
 9.1. Area, location, capacity and working time [1,4,5]:
 – Generally, 12–15m2 per bed as a minimum is
 recommended in order to provide undisturbed
 access to beds for nursing, therapy and
 emergencies. Open areas provide better view
 and access to all patients, whereas bays
 provide more privacy. Equipments can also
 be used more economically in an open area.
 – Location: as close to the operating theatres as
 possible in order to avoid unnecessary time
 loss for transfer of unstable patients if
 interventions are necessary. If a hospital
 has more separated operating suites, each
 suite needs to have its own PACU, staffed
 and equipped properly.
 – Capacity: generally and on an average, 1.5–2
 patients for each operating table but strongly
 and inversely dependent on typical duration
 of surgery: less if long-lasting procedures are
 dominant with slower patient turnover and
 more if short procedures or day case surgery
 is performed.
 – Length of stay: strongly dependent on
 dominating type of surgery and capacity of
 other wards of the hospital, usually less than
 6–12 h but usually no more than 24 h, (but the
 last rule may sometimes be overwritten by
 special needs).
 – Working time: 24 h working time is recommended
 but not necessarily. It depends on the
 ratio of elective surgery and availability of ICU
 orHDU. PACUcan be closed at a certain time,
 usuallyduringnight, if surgical schedulemakes
 it possible and duties can be taken over
 temporarily by other units such as ICUs. In
 questionable situations, the responsibility of
 decision should concern the anaesthesiologist.
 9.2. Equipments and facilities [5,8,9]:
 – Bedside monitoring devices at place:
 – pulse oxymeter,
 – ECG,
 – noninvasive blood pressure (BP) monitor.
 – Immediately available monitoring devices:
 – ECG recording,
 – capnograph,
 – nerve stimulator,
 – means of measuring temperature.
 – Specific additional monitoring (e.g. vascular or
 intracranial pressures, cardiac output or some
 biochemical variables):
 – may be required and should be performed
 on a case-by-case basis for selected
 patients or selected procedures.
 716 European Journal of Anaesthesiology 2009, Vol 26 No 9
 Copyright © European Society of Anaesthesiology. Unauthorized reproduction of this article is prohibited.
 – Mobile monitoring:
 – If PACU is not immediately adjacent to
 the operating theatre, or if the patient’s
 general condition is instable, adequate
 ‘mobile monitoring’ of above parameters is
 needed during transfer.
 – It is the anaesthetist’s responsibility to
 ensure that transfer is accomplished safely.
 – Central monitor station:
 – It controls and records all warnings and
 alarms of bedside monitors and provides
 documentation in the form of hard copies,
 and is therefore recommended.
 – Facilities needed:
 – defibrillator and resuscitation trolley
 appropriately supplied,
 – difficult airway devices,
 – immediate access to blood gas analysis and
 acute laboratory testing,
 – access to mobile radiograph and ultrasound
 imaging and endoscopies,
 – warming blankets,
 – forced air-warming devices for each bed,
 – sufficient air condition system providing a
 minimum of 15 air change rate per hour for
 sufficient scavenging of anaesthesia gases
 and other disinfectant vapours.
 9.3. Staffing: dependent on the praxis of individual
 hospitals and on the circumstances in which
 patients are admitted to the PACU [9,10].
 – No fewer than two nurses should be present
 when there is a patient in the recovery room.
 – There should be an anaesthetist, supernumerary
 to requirements in the operating
 theatres, immediately available for the recovery
 room.
 – If it is a local standard to extubate patients in
 PACU, practised often for increasing surgical
 turnover, one-to-one nursing is necessary
 until a well tolerated extubation can be
 performed or cardiovascular function stability
 achieved.
 – The extubation manoeuvre itself is the responsibility
 of the anaesthetist!
 – If patients are admitted to PACU in awake or
 arousable state, nurse–bed ratio may increase
 up to 1 : 4, depending on the type of surgery.
 – The skill mix of the nursing staff usually
 varies, but it is advisable to have specially
 trained nurses, including anaesthesia or
 intensive care nurses.
 – Satisfactory quality of care during recovery
 from anaesthesia and surgery relies heavily
 on investment in the education and training
 of recovery room staff. Maintenance of
 standards requires continuous update in
 resuscitation skills, application of new techniques,
 and advances in pain management.
 9.4. Postoperative assessment and monitoring [5,11]
 – Patient should be observed continuously by
 adequately trained (PACU) nurses and
 an anaesthesiologist.
 – Respiratory function:
 – Oxygen saturation: it is recommended that
 monitoring of airway patency, respiratory
 rate and continuous oxygen saturation
 should be controlled in emergence and
 recovery. Particular attention should be
 given to monitoring oxygenation and
 ventilation.
 – Capnography: it is strongly recommended if
 patient is ventilated or drug-induced
 hypoventilation can be anticipated for
 any reasons.
 – Cardiovascular function: it is agreed that pulse
 rate, BP and ECG monitoring detect cardiovascular
 complications, reduce adverse outcomes
 and should be done during emergence
 and recovery.
 It is recommended that routine monitoring
 of pulse rate and BP should be done
 during emergence and recovery, and ECG
 monitors should be available.
 – Neuromuscular function: assessment of neuromuscular
 function primarily includes physical
 examination. On occasions, it may include
 neuromuscular blockade monitor, as it is
 suggested to be effective in detecting
 neuromuscular dysfunction. It is agreed that
 assessment of neuromuscular function identifies
 potential complications, reduces adverse
 outcomes and should be done during emergence
 and recovery.
 It is recommended that assessment of
 neuromuscular functions should be performed
 during emergence and recovery
 for patients who have received nondepolarizing
 neuromuscular blocking
 agents or who have medical conditions
 associated with neuromuscular dysfunction.
 – Mental status: assessment of mental status can
 detect complications and reduces adverse
 outcomes.
 It is recommended to assess mental status
 periodically during emergence and recovery.
 – Temperature: routine assessment of patient
 temperature detects complications and
 reduces adverse outcomes.
 It is recommended to assess patient
 temperature periodically during emergence
 and recovery.
 – Pain: routine assessment and monitoring of
 pain detects complications and reduces
 adverse outcomes.
 Guidelines Vimlati et al. 717
 Copyright © European Society of Anaesthesiology. Unauthorized reproduction of this article is prohibited.
 It is recommended to assess pain periodically
 during emergence and recovery and
 manage it accordingly.
 – Nausea and vomiting: routine assessment of
 nausea and vomiting detects complications
 and reduces adverse outcomes.
 It is recommended to assess nausea and
 vomiting routinely during emergence
 and recovery.
 – Hydration status and fluid management: routine
 perioperative assessment and monitoring of
 patient’s hydration status and fluid management
 detects complications, reduces adverse
 outcomes and improves patient’s comfort and
 satisfaction.
 It is recommended to assess postoperative
 hydration status routinely and manage
 accordingly during emergence and recovery.
 Certain procedures involving significant
 loss of blood or fluids may require
 additional fluid management.
 – Urine output and voiding: assessment and
 monitoring of urine output and urinary
 voiding detects complications and reduces
 adverse outcomes during emergence and
 recovery.
 It is recommended that assessment of urine
 output and urinary voiding should be done
 on a case-by-case basis for selected patients
 or selected procedures during emergence
 and recovery.
 – Drainage and bleeding: assessment and
 monitoring of drainage and bleeding detect
 complications and reduce adverse outcomes.
 It is recommended that assessment of
 drainage and bleeding should be a routine
 component of emergence and recovery
 care.
 9.5. Treatment methods during emergence and
 recovery [11]:
 – Prophylaxis and treatment of nausea and vomiting:
 single or multiple antiemetic agents may
 be used for prevention and treatment of
 nausea and vomiting.
 It is recommended, when indicated.
 – Administration of supplemental oxygen: effective
 in preventing and treating hypoxemia, therefore,
 it is recommended for all patients to
 administer during transportation or in the
 recovery room for patients at risk of
 hypoxemia.
 – Normalizing patient temperature by active
 warming is suggested by the literature to
 be effective and the use of forced-air warming
 devices is supported. It is suggested that their
 use reduces recovery time and shivering and
 increases comfort and satisfaction of patients.
 Consequently normothermia should be a goal
 during emergence and recovery.
 Forced-air warming systems should be
 used for treating hypothermia when available.
 – Pharmacologic agents for reduction of shivering: it
 is cautioned that hypothermia, a common
 cause of shivering, should be treated by active
 rewarming. Advantages of pharmacologic
 agents as additive methods may be considered
 for select patients when shivering is
 known to be seriously harmful.
 In these patients, meperidine is recommended
 as first-line drug for treatment of
 shivering during emergence and recovery
 for select patients. Other opioids may be
 considered if meperidine is contraindicated
 or not available.
 – Antagonism of benzodiazepines: specific
 antagonists should be available whenever
 benzodiazepines are administered.
 Flumazenil should not be used routinely,
 but may be administered to antagonize
 respiratory depression and sedation in
 select patients. After pharmacologic
 antagonism, patients should be observed
 long enough to ensure that cardiorespiratory
 depression does not recur.
 – Antagonization of opioids: specific antagonists
 should be available whenever opioids are
 administered.
 Opioid antagonists should not be used
 routinely but may be administered to
 antagonize respiratory depression in
 selected patients. After pharmacologic
 antagonism, patients should be observed
 long enough to ensure that cardiorespiratory
 depression does not recur. It is reminded
 that acute antagonism of the effects of
 opioids may result in pain, hypertension,
 tachycardia or pulmonary oedema.
 – Reversal of neuromuscular blockade: T4:T1 ratio
 is the single and proven objective measure of
 safe neuromuscular function up to now.
 It is recommended that assessment of
 restoration of neuromuscular function
 (e.g. by train-of-four monitor) should be
 checked during emergence and recovery
 on a case-by-case basis, and specific antagonists
 are recommended to administer for
 reversal of residual neuromuscular blockade
 whenever indicated.
 – Postoperative pain management: anaesthetists
 are usually involved in the provision of pain
 relief in the days following surgery. If so, they
 have to ensure that:
 – If patient-controlled anaesthesia systems
 are to be used, all staff who are likely to
 718 European Journal of Anaesthesiology 2009, Vol 26 No 9
 Copyright © European Society of Anaesthesiology. Unauthorized reproduction of this article is prohibited.
 come into contact with them should have
 undergone training in their use and be able
 to recognize complications should they
 arise.
 – The same principles apply to those
 required to look after patients receiving
 continuous epidural or other regional
 blockade.
 – Drug prescription charts should be
 reviewed and annotated.
 – to highlight the administration of neuraxial
 opioid infusion
 – and help eliminate the risk of unintentional,
 simultaneous administration of
 opioids by other routes.
 10. Special considerations [5]
 10.1. Critically ill patients
 – Critically ill patients, if being transiently
 managed in the recovery area, need special
 care:
 – The primary responsibility for the patient
 lies with the ICU staff.
 – All the standards of medical and nursing
 care as well as monitoring requirements
 should be equal to that within the ICU.
 – A special action plan should be worked
 out in order to facilitate the transport of
 this patient to the ICU as soon as
 possible.
 10.2 Regional anaesthesia
 – The principles of management for any
 patient undergoing regional anaesthesia,
 either alone or as part of a general
 anaesthetic technique, are the same as for
 any other patient.
 – Information and instructions given on handover
 to recovery staff should include:
 – site and type of local block,
 – drug and dosage used,
 – anticipated duration of action,
 – instructions for further pain relief and
 positional restrictions for the patient.
 – Information for the patient includes the
 anticipation of return of sensation, motor
 function, or both.
 – Considerations after spinal and epidural
 anaesthesia include noting the level of
 analgesia achieved, cardiovascular status,
 sitting up (when and how much), bladder
 care, details of any continuous infusions,
 degree of motor block and time of likely
 recovery.
 – Many of these considerations also apply to
 plexus block.
 10.3 Children
 – Children have special needs, best met by
 having a designated paediatric recovery area
 that is child friendly and staffed by nurses
 trained in the recovery of paediatric
 patients.
 – Equipment must include a full range of sizes
 of facemasks, breathing systems, airways,
 nasal prongs and tracheal tubes.
 – Essential monitoring equipment includes a
 full range of paediatric noninvasive BP cuffs
 and small pulse oximeter probes.
 – Children require one-to-one supervision
 throughout their recovery room stay.
 – Postoperative vomiting, bradycardia and
 laryngeal spasm are more common. The
 latter can have devastating effects as small
 children become hypoxemic much faster
 than adults.
 – Children should not be denied adequate
 pain relief because of fear of side effects. It
 can be difficult to assess pain; however,
 suitable techniques are available.
 – In general, intramuscular injections should
 be avoided.
 11. Documentation: each patient must be kept under
 continuous clinical observation [5,9].
 – Data of clinical observations should be
 recorded regularly.
 – Physiological parameters should be measured and
 recorded at regular intervals.
 – Drug prescription or medication charts should be
 recorded ‘on line’ and annotated.
 – Laboratory tests, radiographs or other diagnostics
 as well as consultation results should be recorded.
 12. Transfer from recovery area to the wards
 – A formal checklist should be established to
 document that patient is fit to be discharged from
 the recovery area safely [5,9,12,13]. It is advisable
 that the checklist should include:
 – Vital parameters as relevant, such as:
 – pulse rate,
 – BP,
 – arterial O2 saturation,
 – train-of-four ratio,
 – end-tidal CO2 (mandatory if patient is
 ventilated).
 – Instructions for the immediate post-PACU
 period as required, at least:
 – supplemental oxygen,
 – fluid replacement,
 – analgesic or antiemetic regimens,
 – monitoring if different from the normal
 practice of the receiving unit,
 – physiotherapy,
 – others if relevant.
 – A formal handover should be performed to a
 qualified nurse and documented.
 13. Discharge criteria
 13.1 Each patient care facility should develop suitable
 recovery and discharge criteria based on well defined
 principles and should be designed to minimize the risk
 Guidelines Vimlati et al. 719
 Copyright © European Society of Anaesthesiology. Unauthorized reproduction of this article is prohibited.
 of cardiorespiratory or central nervous depression
 after discharge [5,7,11,13].
 – The requirement of a minimum mandatory stay in
 recovery area is a frequent dilemma. The
 literature is insufficient to evaluate the
 benefits of requiring a minimum mandatory
 stay in the recovery area.
 It is recommended that a mandatory
 minimum stay should not be required,
 but the length of stay should be determined
 strictly on a case-by-case basis [11].
 13.2 Patients to be discharged to the wards should fulfil
 well defined discharge criteria [11], including:
 – fully conscious, able to maintain a clear
 airway and exhibit effective protective
 reflexes;
 – respiration and oxygenation are returned to
 preoperative base level;
 – stable cardiovascular function on acceptable
 level with no unexplained irregularity or
 uncontrolled bleeding;
 – pain and emesis should be properly controlled
 and analgesic or antiemetic regime
 prescribed;
 – use of well defined scoring systems have
 proven value on patient safety and quality
 control in this respect [5,7,10,12,13];
 – if discharge criteria are not achieved, the
 patient should remain in the PACU area and
 the anaesthetist informed, who anyway must
 be available at all times when a patient who
 has not reached the criteria for discharge is
 present in the recovery room. If there is any
 doubt as to whether a patient fulfils the
 criteria, or if there has been a problem during
 the recovery period, the anaesthetist with
 special duties in the recovery room must
 assess the patient. Patients who do not fulfil
 the discharge criteria may be transferred to
 an HDU or ICU but not to normal wards [5].
 13.3 Patients to be discharged home
 – Patients who are discharged home directly
 from the PACU area require special arrangements
 to ensure street safety and an
 adequate level of after-care [12,14–16].
 – Routine use of special scoring systems
 [Aldrete, PADSS (postanesthesia discharge
 scoring system), etc.] are proven helpful and
 therefore recommended.
 – Pain and emesis should be properly controlled
 and analgesic or antiemetic regime
 prescribed [10].
 – Further supply of analgesics and antiemetics
 as well as handling of other unexpected
 events should be advised with particular
 attention.
 – A signed note outlining any advice given
 should be placed in the medical record.
 – If discharge criteria are not achieved, the
 patient should remain in the recovery room
 and the anaesthetist informed.
 – If there is any doubt as to whether a patient
 fulfils the criteria, or if there has been a
 problem during the recovery period, the
 patient should remain in the PACU area and
 the anaesthetist must be informed and he has
 to assess the patient.
 14. Quality control
 14.1 Audit and critical incident systems should be in
 place in all recovery rooms [5,7]. An effective
 emergency call system should be in place in all
 recovery rooms.
 14.2 Monitoring the quality of immediate postoperative
 care and audit for compliance with
 local and national standards [17] include, for
 example:
 – recovery room staffing,
 – monitoring in recovery room,
 – oxygen therapy,
 – record keeping,
 – discharge protocols,
 – postoperative visiting by the anaesthetist,
 – critical incidents (there should be a local
 system for the documentation of critical
 incidents as well as for the response to
 them),
 – airway problems,
 – hypertension and hypotension,
 – postoperative nausea and vomiting,
 – unplanned admissions to HDU and ICU,
 – acute pain management (starts in the PACU
 and the quality of pain relief on arrival and
 on discharge to the ward should be recorded
 and audited),
 – education and training of PACU staff.
 14.3. Conduct audit for compliance with local
 protocols:
 – quality of recovery [14,17,18],
 – violation of discharge protocol,
 – documentation of critical incidents.
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