Welcome to a day in the Post-Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU), or less formally referred to as the recovery room. PACU Maura Crisafulli, DO, Chief Resident- Class of 2021 When I drop off my last patient in PACU, I send my N95 for cleaning. Call usually lasts anywhere from 5pm to 7pm depending on the number of emergent cases that come into the hospital during the day. If on call, I'll check the white board to see which cases to take over. Either she won't need anything, or I'll quickly set up a trauma room for her. Sabnis in the main ORs at 3:30 to see if she needs help to finish out the day. I repeat everything for extubation, including the ten minutes of wait-time.Īt the end of my day, if I'm not on call, I'll check in with Dr. We had great training, and did enough practice beforehand that it is habit now. It’s hard to remember not to touch the outside of my N95 to adjust it, or to change gloves and alcohol-gel my hands after I do, but somehow I remember. I can choose to stay gowned or I can doff it without contaminating myself until the end of the case. These patients are always in a negative- pressure operating room.
Ten minutes have to go by after intubation before the doors of the OR can be opened or closed to allow for enough air exchange to clear out any possible viral particles. I double-glove to intubate the patient- one set of gloves comes off to handle the ventilator. If I have a COVID positive or COVID unknown patient, I prepare my gown, N95 mask, and goggles. If finish up my cases for the day early, I usually go to the lounge and play video games (ahem. I mean study), until 3:30pm. I go to the resident lounge or cafeteria for lunch, depending on what I'm in the mood for, and then it's back to my OR. Sometimes, I check the white board on our website to see when I'll have a lunch break. Greeting my patient at 7am, my attending and I talk over the plan if anything is different in the patient's history, and the case usually starts by 7:30am. I'm in my OR for the day by 6:30am, and sign into the morning didactic conference via zoom while setting up. All of my patients should be COVID negative for their elective cases, and I double-check that before I start. Sometimes, I've sent my old N95 out for cleaning, and sometimes I have an extra, already cleaned. Usually my 7yo son wakes up before I leave, gives me a little sleepy hug, and then tries to scam some extra TV time out of me. When I get to the hospital, I change in the locker room and select my N95 and goggles for the day. I wake up around 5am, am out of the house by 6am, and am at the hospital by 6:15am. COVID-Era Anesthesia Marie Mayer, MD, CA2- Class of 2022
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