DNP alumni Michael Neal and Jill Engel and faculty members Frank Titch, Chris Muckler and Bradi Granger recently published an article entitled "Measuring the Clinical and Operational Effectiveness of Post-Anesthesia Care in the Cardiovascular Short-Stay Unit" in EP Lab Digest.

Background

The electrophysiology (EP) patient population presents a unique challenge for both anesthesia and post-procedure recovery staff. For anesthesia providers, delivering care to EP patients includes the same basic anesthesia requirements (e.g., amnesia, analgesia, and homeostasis) that most surgical patients require. EP anesthesia providers must meet basic anesthesia care requirements as well as manage a unique set of complication risks that occur during arrhythmia induction (e.g., hypotension) or complications that occur during cardiac ablation or device implantation (e.g., cardiac tamponade and/or effusion).1 The risk of these complications can extend into the post-procedure recovery stage, making care of EP patients particularly challenging for recovery staff. Hospitals typically use post-anesthesia care units (PACU), often located in the peri-operative section of a hospital (which may be remote to the EP lab), to recover patients who received general anesthesia during their EP procedure. However, there are organizational concerns associated with recovering EP patients in a remote and non-specialized setting, including decreased efficiency due to longer transport times and/or a lack of available PACU beds.