After Surgery
After your surgery, you will be taken to the PACU (Post Anesthesia Care Unit), also known as the Recovery Room. Or if medically necessary, you will be taken to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). However, if you have a local anesthetic with sedation you may skip the PACU and return to the Same Day Surgery area.
In PACU, a nurse will monitor your vital signs and you may receive oxygen to help you wake up. When you begin to wake up and your vital signs are stable, you will be taken to your room where your family or friend may be with you. If you have an outpatient procedure, you will be taken back to a room in Same Day Surgery and your family or friend may be with you then.
If you have surgery requiring a hospital stay, your family or friend will be able to visit you once you have been transferred to a hospital room. After your surgery, your physician may choose a specific nursing unit that will help you with your recovery. The availability of hospital rooms constantly changes based on patient admissions and dismissals. Sometimes it is necessary for you to stay in the PACU until the right bed becomes available. Please be assured that at no time will you be without the care you need. The staff in the PACU area will continue your care until your room is ready. Because we want to ensure that each patient's privacy is protected, family and friends are not allowed to visit the patient in PACU. We will make every effort to keep you and your family updated concerning your condition and bed status.
On the day of surgery, your family or friends can check with the staff at the surgery waiting room desk for additional information. Your recovery time will depend upon the type of procedure you have undergone and the anesthesia used.