Healthcare-Associated Infections Erin J. Levering Jean Kwo I. INTRODUCTION Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) are a major source of morbidity and mortality in the United States. In acute care hospitals in the…

Infection Control Erin J. Levering Jean Kwo I. INFECTION CONTROL Infection control in the hospital setting encompasses the surveillance of epidemiologically important organisms and the prevention of transmission of healthcare-associated…

Quality Assurance, Organization, Policies, and Management in the Postanesthesia Care Units (PACUs) Edward George I. POSTANESTHESIA CARE UNITS QUALITY ASSURANCE A. Introduction Postanesthesia care units (PACUs) often vary in the…

PACU Admission and Discharge Criteria Yuriy Bronshteyn William Schoenfeld I. INTRODUCTION A postanesthesia care unit (PACU) is a specialized intensive care ward that serves the brief, yet intense medical needs…

Legal and Ethical Issues in the PACU Caroline B. G. Hunter Sheri Berg I. INTRODUCTION The postanesthesia care unit (PACU) is a complex and dynamic environment that provides both medical…

Postoperative Care of Patients with a History of Substance Use Connie Wang Sheri Berg Carlos Fernandez-Robles Substance abuse remains a major problem in the United States, and physicians can often…

The Pregnant Patient Naveen F. Sangji Haytham M. A. Kaafarani I. INTRODUCTION Pregnant women may present with obstetric and nonobstetric conditions (e.g., trauma, appendicitis, cholecystitis, bowel obstruction) whose definitive care…

The Geriatric Patient Elie P. Ramly Haytham M. A. Kaafarani INTRODUCTION Older patients constitute a substantial proportion of the current surgical population, with more than half of all operations in…