Post Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU)

Hello and welcome to the Post Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU), located on the 2nd floor of INTEGRIS Health Baptist Medical Center.

After receiving anesthesia for a surgery or procedure, a patient is sent to the PACU to recover and wake up. The PACU is a critical care unit where the patient’s vital signs are closely observed, pain management begins, and fluids are given. The nursing staff is skilled in recognizing and managing problems in patients after receiving anesthesia. The PACU is under the direction of the Department of Anesthesiology.

The environment on our unit is friendly and patient-oriented. Leadership is supportive of personal and professional staff growth. We have experienced nurses with ICU/ED backgrounds, all the way to nurse residents beginning orientation for the first time. Staff is very supportive of each other. They readily welcome and share their knowledge with all new nurses. They are always eager to help and “pitch in” when needed. It is a big family in this unit.

We care for adults and most pediatric patients who electively or emergently are having surgery. Care in the PACU is 1:2 for stable adults and 1:1 for pediatrics. There is a 20-bay capacity.

Our patients may be having a simple procedure that allows them to go home the same day or may be undergoing a very complex surgery that will require them to be cared for in an intensive care setting. Surgery is a unique place in healthcare.

There are many advantages to working in the PACU. We have a flexible scheduling system with a variety of 8, 10, and 12-hour shifts. There is also an excellent opportunity to get hours, given our staff participates in on call during the night and on weekends. Staff can have the opportunity to connect with multiple patients and families every day and at the most vulnerable and critical time in their lives.

Our nurses are successful because we maintain a strong bond and recognize the needs of one another. As a group, we address all aspects of our practice to improve the care of patients/families and increase satisfaction in the work environment.

Unit Dashboard What we do: Stabilizing vital signs Managing airways Titrating vasoactive drips Administering pain and nausea medications for comfort.

Immediate post-op care, pain management and post-op hypothermia management Same day discharge procedures to complex procedures requiring an ICU setting

Number of Beds: 20

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