The Ambulatory Surgery Department at The Bellevue Hospital has a spacious area to take care of patients before & after surgery whether it is same-day, overnight or inpatient surgery.  Our staff is made up of registered nurses (RNs), a secretary & transporters.  Each of our 20 rooms is private & contains a cart for transporting you, a recliner, a standard chair, a dresser for your belongings & a television.   

The PACU Department (PACU stands for Post Anesthesia Care Unit, also known as the Recovery Room.) At The Bellevue Hospital PACU is connected to Ambulatory Surgery & its nursing staff works in both the surgery department and PACU.  All nurses in this department are certified in BLS (Basic Life Support – CPR), ACLS (Advanced Cardiac Life Support, & PALS (Pediatric Advanced Life Support).  

How can I be involved in my Surgical Procedure? 

What will happen the day of my surgery? 

• When you arrive at the hospital for your procedure you will check in at the Concierge desk.  Our receptionist will double check that all the necessary paperwork has been completed for your admission to the hospital. 

• You & your family will then be directed to the surgical waiting area on the 2^nd floor just outside of the Surgery Department.

• Your surgery nurse will come and escort you to the room assigned to you.  Your family will be asked to stay in the Surgical Waiting Area while you are prepped for surgery.  Once your admission is complete your family will be allowed to sit with you until it is time for your procedure (we allow 2 visitors to be with you at a time).

• Once you are in your room, you will be asked to change into a hospital gown.  When you are changed, the nurse will then start your admission paperwork.  Your nurse will verify who you are & what procedure you are having done.  You will go over your current medications & be asked if you have any allergies.  She will also verify that you have not had anything to eat or drink since midnight (this is done to assure your safety).  Your vital signs will be taken, a physical assessment will be completed & and if needed, an IV will be started.   When the nurse is finished, your family will be able to come to your room & visit with you.

• Both the surgeon & the anesthesiologist will see you before going to the surgery area. If you have any questions regarding your procedure or your care afterwards, please ask the surgeon or the anesthesiologist at this time. 

• The circulating nurse will introduce himself or herself to you.  The nurse will verify your name, date of birth, allergies, & procedure you are having done.  You will then be wheeled back to surgery & your family will be escorted back to the Surgical Waiting Area.

• Your family will be instructed to check-in with the volunteer at the Surgical Waiting Area.  If your family leaves the area while you are in surgery, we ask that they notify the volunteer so we can locate them if needed. 

• Once your procedure is complete & you are in the Recovery Room (PACU), your surgeon will meet with your family in a Consultation Room to discuss how your procedure went.  After the surgeon talks with your family, they can expect to see you in about 1 hour.

• When your surgery is complete you will be taken to the Recovery Room  (PACU) by the circulating nurse & the anesthesiologist.  The average time patients are in Recovery is about one hour, your time may be less or more.

• While in PACU you will be given oxygen by a mask placed over your nose & mouth.  Your vital signs will be monitored closely.  Your pain will be assessed & medications to relieve your pain will be given as needed.  You may also receive medication to relieve any feelings of nausea that are associated with having anesthesia & general surgery.  Your dressings are watched & assessed for any signs of post-op bleeding.

• Once your PACU recovery is complete you will be taken on your transportation cart back to your Ambulatory Room (if you are same-day surgery) or taken to your room on MedSurg or ICU (if your surgery is an overnight stay or inpatient).

As a Same Day Surgery Patient-

• When you are back in your Ambulatory Room, you will be given a menu to look at & offered your choice of beverage. 

• You will be allowed to rest & recover from your procedure in your private setting.

• Your pain will be assessed using a 1-10 scale (1 is mild pain & 10 is the most severe).  Medications will be administered appropriately to keep you as comfortable & pain-free as possible.

• Your family will then be allowed to come back & visit with you.

• Once you are awake, your pain is under control, you are able to keep liquids down & have urinated, and you will then be allowed to be discharged from the hospital.

• Your nurse will review all your discharge instructions & give you prescriptions -- if the doctor has written any.  We will go over what you should do when you go home, what you should eat and drink and what kind of activity you can do.  We will also go over your medication, when you can drive and go back to work.  Please make sure that you ask any questions if you do not understand or if you have special concerns.

• You will be escorted by the nurse, or taken in a wheelchair to the lobby.  Your family will pull their vehicle up to the patient entrance & you will be helped into the vehicle.

The Bellevue Hospital has a Pain Clinic Service located in our PACU department.
Our anesthesiologists perform epidural injections for back pain ordered by your physician.  

When you arrive for your epidural you will first check in at our front desk & will then register.  Once you are registered, you will go to the surgical waiting area on the second floor.  

A nurse from the PACU department will escort you to your room.  The nurse is there to assist you with getting ready for your procedure and to help the anesthesiologist with your care. 

Here is a brief overview of an epidural treatment:

1.     A nurse will have you sit on the side of the bed & the anesthesiologist will come into your room to assess your spine, talk with you about the procedures and answer your questions.

2.     The anesthesiologist will then wash the area for the epidural with an antiseptic solution.

3.     The anesthesiologist will then give you a numbing injection to the area that will be receiving the injection.

4.     The anesthesiologist will then place a needle into the epidural space & inject the steroids your physician has ordered for pain.

5.      The nurse will stay with you during the injection & monitor your response to the injection.  Your vital signs will also be monitored before & after the procedure.  

6.     Discharge instructions will be reviewed with you & you will receive a card listing the next date you can receive another injection if needed.  

7.     Usually the entire procedure is accomplished in less than 30 minutes.  The anesthesiologist administers the injection.  And while we make every effort to schedule your time between scheduled cases in the operating room, we may occasionally experience a delay if there are schedule changes in the OR.