Post-operative
care after surgery
Postop will start Transferred to PACU unit to
until the time patient made the 1st follow up
POSTOPERATIVE NURSING
CARE PACU recovery room (post anesthesia
care unit)
Purpose:
• To continuously evaluate and stabilize
clients. Stabilize: target for VS of
patient is within the range of preop VS
• To anticipate, prevent, and treat
complication of surgery
PACU stay requirements = 2hrs regardless of
patient condition
>2hrs stay = unstable patient. they would refer
to ICU; bcs it would be that they would diff type
of nursing care (need nila critical care kapag
hindi sila stable after 2hrs post-surgery)
No need doctors order regards to frequency of
monitoring patient within 2hr period. Automatic
within 2hrs, patient will be monitored every
15mins for VS, every 30mins/1hr for urine output
(excrete anesthetic agent),
Transferring of the patient to PACU is the
responsibility of Anesthesiologist, Circulating
Nurse.
PACU room = quiet and clean
• Therapeutic environment = environment of
OR is design decrease the anxiety of the
patient
• Safe environment = to prevent cross
contamination and infection
Prevent any stress to patient
POSTOPERATIVE
ASSESSMENT
• Airway – need to maintain patent airway.
Turn the head to one side, para incase na
mag hypersecretion. Standby ang suction
and oxygenation
• Breathing – always observe. The px
should/can do deep breathing
exercise/coughing exercises. Administer
oxygen if there is something wrong with
the breathing
• Circulation – VS monitoring q15mins for
2 hrs, q30 additional 2hrs, q1 every 1 for
24 hours or until stable.
• Consciousness – criteria for admitting
patient to PACU and discharging to
PACU. Depends on the sedation of the
patient.
• Dressing – expected that dressing
should be dry and intact. May bleeding
kapag soiled ang dressing
• Drainage – drainage tubing that attach
should keep patent and intact. Ex,
indwelling catheter
• Drugs – what are your plan with the
previous medication that put in hold
• Elimination – pertains to urine output.
You monitor I/O dapat balance. Ex, 100
pumasok, dapat 100 din lalabas.
• Fluids – pertains for IVF. Most specially
for patient who’s still NPO
• Food – start with NPO until full diet or diet
as tolerated.
• Safety/comfort – consider the effect of
your anesthetic agent. You need a
continuous monitoring for general
anesthesia patient. Ex, side rails are up,
turn patient side to side, early ambulation
(leg raising)
If the px received general anesthesia wherein
you paralyze the CNS, it affects respi, cardio,
