Clinical factors and non-clinical factors associated with delayed stay in post-anesthetic care units for common types of surgery

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate that both clinical and non-clinical factors may contribute to extended stays in post-anesthetic care units. Data on the 10 most frequent types of surgery performed in a tertiary hospital in Seoul were analyzed in order to identify factors related to increased duration of post-operative stays in the PACU. Clinical factors that resulted in increased duration of stay included delayed recovery of consciousness from anesthesia (73%), additional administration of narcotic analgesics (13.5%), delayed removal of endotracheal intubation (8.1%), and transfusion (5.4%). Non-clinical factors resulted in increased stay duration in a total of eight cases (6.7%), including three cases delayed due to transporting personnel (37.5%), three cases due to imaging examinations (37.5%), and two cases due to ward requests. In conclusion, PACUs require immediate expert nursing skills and management for intensive management of patients during recovery. These results indicated that both clinical and non-clinical factors contribute to delayed stays in many cases. Therefore, in-depth studies on management systems are necessary to decrease delayed stay. ? 2017 International Information Institute.