Who may visit a child in the PACU?
Due to space limitations and consideration for other parents, visitation is restricted to one parent or legal guardian per child. Please decide in advance who will stay with the child in the PACU. To minimize disruption, one parent should remain with the child throughout his/her entire stay in the PACU. Instruct all family members and friends to remain in the waiting room. They will be notified when the child is discharged from the PACU. Communication between family members and the parent is not encouraged, again to keep disruption to a minimum. What happens in the PACU? Following surgery, your child will be transported to the PACU. The PACU nurse will take your child’s vital signs such as blood pressure, breathing, and heart rates. The PACU nurse will receive a report from the OR nurse, anesthesiologist, and surgeon, and perform an initial post-operative assessment. Your child will be monitored continuously until awake enough to return to the outpatient area or Pediatric Department. E
