Incidence and Outcome of Reintubation in the PACU

The study was carried out in Wuhan City, China at a general public university hospital with 62 clinical departments, 99 surgical rooms, and 38 beds in the PACU. The total number of operations performed in this hospital is more than 90,000/year. The study was approved by the hospital ethics committee and was deemed that written patient consent was not required. The adverse events, including RAP, in all patients in the PACU were recorded on a standardized form in a database by pre-trained qualified nurses and/or anesthesiologists at the time of care from January 1, 2017 to December 31, 2019.

Data, including patient demographic and surgical and anesthesia parameters, were obtained from the anesthesia information system. Adverse events management and duration of PACU stay were also documented. For three years, all collected data were filed in a computer every day and were summarized and analyzed every month. Data, such as demographics, airway, oxygen saturation, consciousness, treatment, vital signs, and fast-track criteria scores, were recorded for all patients in the PACU. The first part contained preoperative and intraoperative data, which were entered into the database by the anesthesiologists involved in the patients' intraoperative care from the time of PACU admission. The second part were recorded by nurse and comprised postoperative data from the PACU to the ward or ICU. The third part were recorded by the surgeons and/ or surgical nurses and comprised postoperative data. The criteria for tracheal extubation in the operating room(OR) and the timing of transfer to the PACU were the responsibility of the anesthesiologist.

Inclusion criteria

• Patients requiring stay in PACU

Exclusion criteria

• Patients were transferred directly from the operating room to the ward or icu
• non-postoperative patient