The Post Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU) has been deemed by professionals as one of the most critical areas in a hospital. The registered nurses who make up the staff of MMC’s unit monitor the patient as they are brought from a “state of wakelessness to a state of wakefulness.” all of these nurses are advanced cardiovascular life support (ACLS) certified.
PACU Team at Our Meadville Hospital
Under the direction of Nurse Manager of Perioperative Services Sharon Peters, BSN, RN this team carries out duties at both Liberty Street and Grove Street facilities, providing care for patients from pediatrics to geriatrics. The patients for whom they care include surgical patients under general anesthesia as well as spinal, epidural and regional block. They serve cesarean section patients in the New Life Unit surgical area after hours and, on occasion, patients who have had diagnostic radiological procedures. The staff is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. On those occasions when the census and staffing allow, however, after hours the ICU staff may perform post-operative recovery.
Dedicated to Service & Care
The nurses’ three main objectives are
- To maintain an open airway / provide adequate respiratory function
- To keep the patient pain and nausea free
- To ensure the patient is awake and alert in a short amount of time
The care they offer is based on the American Society of Perianesthesia Nurses (ASPAN) Standards of Perianesthesia Nursing Practice. Many positive changes in procedures and medications over the years have helped to make patients more comfortable by the time they return to their rooms.