Frequently Asked Questions
Welcome to the ASPAN Perianesthesia Practice Exchange Page
Designed for nurses in the PACU and perioperative settings, this resource offers detailed guidance, expert commentary, and peer-to-peer knowledge sharing to support safe, high-quality patient care. Here, you can browse frequently asked questions, explore best practices, and submit your own clinical inquiries to ASPAN content experts. This is your space to connect, learn, and ensure the highest standard of care for your patients.
If you do not find the answer to your question, please feel free to submit it to ASPAN's Clinical Practice Network.
Question of the Month:
Q: Should I be getting a handoff from the anesthesiologist? What is part of an effective handoff?
A: The handoff should cover:
• The surgery performed and the surgical site
• Medications
• Level of consciousness and pertinent neurological history
• Preoperative status and pertinent medical history
• Estimated blood loss
• Complications during the procedure
• Clarification of any code status issues if the patient had a DNR/DNI prior to surgery
The receiving nurse should have an opportunity to ask questions as part of the handoff before accepting care of the patient.
Q: Is it okay to send a nurse into the OR to recover a patient? The second person to assist is a runner who can get items for the patient.
Q: My patient received Narcan in PACU. How long does my patient need to stay in Phase I? What about sugammadex? Does that apply to the 2-hour window?
Q: Is there a statement on patients that bypass Phase I? What are the criteria?
Q: Our facility has told us that the pre-op RNs are going to give moderate sedation in the OR for our eye cases. We have not had any training in moderate sedation. Should we be concerned?
Q: What constitutes a proper handoff in the PACU? How should breaks be managed?
Q: What is a stable airway?
Q. If I have an ICU patient, can I take another patient?
Q. How often does the Aldrete scoring need to be done?
Q. What is the minimal amount of time between patients?
Q: What is the standard for handoff report from the PACU to the receiving unit?
Q. What is best practice for a preoperative skin assessment for preprocedure/ preoperative patients?
Q. Can we put preop patients in the same area that we have patients recovering from anesthesia?
Q. What are the critical elements when accepting a patient from the anesthesia?