PACU & OUTPATIENT Nurses, need your input!

[annimal76RN]

Looking for info on how other hospitals handle outpatient surgeries after regular working hours (after 9pm). Do the PACU nurses discharge the patient, do you have a outpatient nurse on call, do you send them to the surgical floor. How is this handled in you institution? I look forward to hearing from you!

[1mg.epi]

We have an outpatient call nurse that come in. Our Patients are move to the PACU area till discharge.

[1mg.epi]

additional info., we do keep 2 nurses here when there is a left over patient. One may be a PACU nurse.

I am the week end outpatient nurse. I do the IV tx and injection and so on. There has been times that some one receiving blood may be here past time for me to leave. We will sent them to the floor under observation status.

To me sending them to the floor as observation is more cost effective, but you cant count on their being a beds available.

[cassioo]

our out patients are usually discharged from PACU if a normal recovery time is expected.
If they have some type of surgery that might require a few hours then they go to the floor (we get TVT that come to our GYN beds for about 4 hours then go home).

[1mg.epi]

Our outpatient is a combination of activities.
OP Phase II recovery, Procedures which include specials lab and heart cath lab. We do blood and IV tx (antibiotics, IGG, remicaid....).

Our OP closed at 1900 but we continue to do surgeries till 2100. PACU takes all the left overs. some bloods may still be running due to late start, PACU and the OP call nurse gets them.

Oh ya what is a TVT?

[cassioo]

TVT is a fairly new procedure for us it's a transobturator vaginal taping.... used for incont. instead of birch. Just a minor procedure. Most of them we get from PACU take the cath out in 4 hours. See if they can pee if they can go home if not anchor a cath and send them home with instructions to take it out in a couple of days (in the morning) then go to the office in the afternoon. Pain medication usually not required.

[annimal76RN]

Thanks for all the replies. Keep up the good work!!

[Marie_LPN]

If it is an outpatient procedure, the pt. does the standard recovery in PACU, then goes to ASU post-op for discharge (our ASU is dived into 2 parts, pre-op and post-op).