Post Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU) and High Intensity Surgical Short Stay Unit (HiSSSU)
Immediately following surgery, you will be taken to the Post Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU) by the OR Team and your Anesthesiologist. The PACU is a highly specialized area in which the collaborative efforts of critically trained Nurses, the OR Team, Surgeons and Anesthetists care for patients as they emerge from anesthesia.
The goal of PACU is to ensure patients recover from the anesthetic and are comfortable in terms of pain management and nausea.
Recovery from anesthesia:
- For general anesthesia, you should be awake and returned to a normal mental state.
- For spinal anesthesia, you must be able to feel and move your legs the way they could before surgery. The Nurse will assess your recovery from spinal with using different methods of touch.
During your stay in PACU, you will be closely monitored by a Nurse who will assess your vital signs, oxygen and your surgical site, dressings and any drains.
Join our team
Watch the video below to see why our team enjoys working in Sunnybrook's PACU. Visit sunnybrook.ca/careers to view all of our current employment opportunities.
High Intensity Surgical Short Stay Unit (HiSSSU)
This is a three-bed, level 1 ICU located within the PACU unit, designed to care for post-operative patients who require a higher level of care for one to two days following their surgery. This unit is a needs-based unit where the patients are closely monitored by a highly trained Critical Care Nurse. The care provided to the patients is specific and specialized to the surgical and medical needs of each individual patient. The expertise of the Allied Health Team, including Physiotherapists and Pharmacists, further enhance the patient care experience and ensure optimal recovery for our patients.
