Hemodynamic monitoring in postanesthesia care units

Sophisticated practice modalities, advances in technology, and the increase of sicker and older patients undergoing surgery mandate an expansion of all PACU nurses' skill and knowledge base. Invasive hemodynamic monitoring, as well as the quantitative assessment of cardiovascular function that it provides, is both feasible and necessary as an adjunct tool in today's PACU. Hemodynamic monitoring should be used only when a specific management decision is being considered and when the physician is committed to act on the data obtained. Once instituted, it is the nurse's responsibility to care for the patient safely and provide accurate and reliable data for collaborative assessment.