The development of an extended care facility in the recovery unit: the post-anaesthesia care unit.

This article describes the development of a new service - the post-anaesthesia care unit (PACU) - that provides extended care in a recovery unit for patients who would have formerly been 'fast-tracked' through a high dependency unit (HDU). Patients requiring major surgery who stay in the recovery unit overnight are invasively monitored, have tight fluid management, blood chemistry analysis and frequently have pharmacological support. However, our overnight recovery service is not considered suitable for ventilated patients. Over 90% of patients are able to be discharged to a surgical ward within 24 hours of admission, following medical review.