Anesthesia post-care unit

The client who has had an abdominal surgery has returned from the post-anesthesia care unit (PACU) with a patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) pump. Which intervention should the nurse implement ... 

The client in the post-anesthesia care unit (PACU) has an order for meperidine (Demerol), an opioid, 7 5 mg IVP every 2-3 hours PRN for pain. The nurse working in the PACU administers Demerol 50 mg IM and 25 mg IVP. How should the nurse chart the medication ... 

Kim, J. T., Ren, C, J, Fielding, G. A. et al. 2007. Treatment with lavender aromatherapy in post-anesthesia care unit reduces opioid requirements of morbidly obese patients undergoing laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding. Obesity Sureerv 17(7) 920-925. 

Post Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU) Area where patients go to recover from the immediate effects of anesthesia and surgery. 

Uncontrolled post-operative acute pain, particularly in patients with a history of chronic pain and opioid dependency, can be quickly and effectively relieved by careful and slow titration of intravenous methadone. Similar results maybe achieved in some opioid-naive patients who are refractory to high doses of potent opioids administered in the post-anesthesia care unit (PACU). This author uses 2.5 mg of methadone every 5-10 minutes to extinguish the fire associated with poorly controlled pain, and, once adequate analgesia is obtained, initiates hydromorphone intravenous PCA bolus with or without continuous infusion. It is likely that the intrinsic NMDA antagonistic property of the d-isomer of methadone blunts NMDA receptor activation and spinal sensitization induced by opioids (opioid hyperalgesia) as well as poorly controlled pain. 

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