Abstract
Objective: Vital signs abnormalities in the post-anaesthesia care unit (PACU) may identify patients at risk of severe postoperative complications in the general ward, but are sparsely investigated by continuous monitoring. We aimed to assess if the severity of vital signs abnormalities in the PACU was correlated to the duration of severe vital signs abnormalities and serious adverse events (SAEs) in the general ward. Design: Prospective cohort study. Primary exposure was PACU vital signs abnormalities assessed by a standardised PACU recovery score. Participants: Adult patients, aged ≥ 60 years, who underwent major abdominal cancer surgery. Main outcome measures: The duration of severe vital signs abnormalities were assessed by continuous wireless vital signs monitoring and, secondly, by any SAE within the first 96 hours in the general ward. Results: One-hundred patients were included, and 92 patients with a median of 91 hours (interquartile range, 71-95 hours) of vital signs recording were analysed. The maximum vital signs abnormalities in the PACU were not significantly correlated to overall vital signs abnormalities in the general ward (R = 0.13; P = 0.22). Severe circulatory abnormalities in the overall PACU stay and at discharge were significantly correlated to the duration of circulatory vital signs abnormalities on the ward (R = 0.32 [P = 0.00021] and R = 0.26 [P = 0.014], respectively). Seventeen patients (18%) experienced SAEs, without significant association to the PACU stay (area under the receiver operating characteristic [AUROC], 0.59; 95% CI, 0.46-0.73). Conclusion: Vital signs abnormalities in the PACU did not show a tendency towards predicting overall severe vital signs abnormalities or SAEs during the first days in the general ward. Circulatory abnormalities in the PACU showed a tendency towards predicting circulatory complications in the ward.