A Prospective Controlled Study Comparing the Three PACU Discharge Criteria: Aldrete, White and Sampe in Patients Undergoing Surgical Procedures After General Anaesthesia

Abstract Introduction: One of the most important phases in the handover of surgical patients is the postoperative care discharge from the post anesthesia care unit (PACU) to the common ward. Time-based discharge has historically been implemented in the majority of PACUs; however, due to a huge rise in surgical cases in a large hospital with a restricted number of PACU beds, time-based discharge and delayed shifting created a bottleneck. Aims: To study the advantage and disadvantage of SAMPE scoring system as compared to Whites and modified Aldrete scoring system in PACU undergoing surgical procedures after general anesthesia. Materials & Methods: The study was a prospective, observational design conducted in the Department of Anesthesiology. The study period spanned 10 months, with a total sample size of 392 participants. Result: The mean time of discharge according to Aldrete score was 12.78, Sampe 10.74 and White is 3.72 minutes which was clinically and statistically significant compared to the mean of actual time of discharge which was 74.12 minutes. Therefore, the difference in time of discharge of patients based on Criteria-Based Discharge (CBD) versus actual time of discharge was found to be clinically and statistically significant. Conclusion: We conclude that, comparative effectiveness, safety, and efficiency of the three PACU (PostAnesthesia Care Unit) discharge criteria—Aldrete, White, and SAMPE—in patients undergoing surgical procedures under general anesthesia. It would summarize Aldrete is incomplete because it doesn't include nausea vomiting and bleeding, White can be used for fastracking for daycare cases (eg endoscopy, urology) while Sampe is well rounded scoring system and can be used for routine shifting from PACU to ward. The conclusion might also discuss the implications of adopting one criterion over the others in clinical practice and recommend the most suitable approach based on the study's findings.