Kingston Medical Malpractice: PACU Errors That Can Harm Or KILL

The PACU, or post anesthesia care unit, is generally a pretty quiet place.  That is because patients are coming out of anesthesia and usually out unconscious, super lethargic, or very debilitated and unable to function.  They are usually very controlled and things are very quiet.  But because of the importance of patients coming out of surgeries and in need of care, and because of the anesthesia which is very strong, generally there are more nurses per patient.  That is, the nurse to patient ratio is very high—sometimes even one to one or two to one.

This is because, despite the PACU being quieter, it can be more dangerous.  Serious complications can result in very dangerous and even deadly injuries.  Anesthesia complications are common, and if a nurse if not paying attention there can be life and death situations.  Patients can also be suffering from the surgery complications, like swelling, bleeding wounds, or other issues.  This needs to be treated immediately.

There are many different types of PACUs, like intense (ICU), outpatient, labor and delivery, standard.  These are all post-surgery.  Thus patients are in their specialized area for the reason that staff is trained and experienced in handling post-surgical complications from those areas.  Such as common issues with labor and delivery PACU which are different than those in standard.  And ICU PACU has very specifically training and nursing to care for patients because of the complications and serious nature.

When there are mistakes made in PACU, it can be very serious medical malpractice which results in permanent injuries or even death.  PACUs need to be full staffed with able nurses, technicians, and doctors to ensure that complications that do arise are quickly detected and treated.  Delays here can be mean or death.