Can you bypass PACU for Outpatient Knee Surgery?

Cameron Cartier, DO

Article Review

PACU Bypass after Outpatient Knee Surgery Is Associated with Fewer Unplanned Hospital Admissions but More Phase II Nursing Interventions

Anesthesiology:

October 2002 - Volume 97 - Issue 4 - pp 981-988

This prospective study was designed to compare post-operative complications of patients who bypassed PACU with those who went to PACU following outpatient knee surgery.  The patients receiving the outpatient knee surgery were evaluated based upon a new criteria to separate whether or not the patients would bypass the PACU.   Eighty-seven percent of the patients bypassed the PACU.  These patients required more nursing interventions in the step-down unit, but required less hospitalizations secondary to anesthetic complications.  This article shows that hospital based criteria may be considered in specific patient populations in order to help decrease the amount of recovery time needed for patients to help save the hospital time, money, and staff.