Abstract:
Background: Despite advancements in perioperative anesthesia, PACU complications remain
common, especially in low-resource settings like Ethiopia, where limited resources and staffing
shortages increase the risks. The post-anesthesia care unit (PACU) is a crucial component of the
surgical process, providing patients with vital support and monitoring as they recover from
anesthesia. Previous studies in neighboring African countries with comparable sociodemographic
and economic profiles report varying incidences and prevalences of PACU complications and
associated factors.
Objective: To assess the prevalence of postoperative complications and associated factors in adult
patients admitted to the post anesthesia care unit of Jimma university medical Centre, Ethiopia,
2024.
Methods: An institutional based prospective cross-sectional study was conducted in the PACU of
Jimma university medical Centre from October 1, 2024 to January 31, 2025. Two BSc-trained
nurses collected data using a structured questionnaire under the supervision of the investigator.
Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics, including frequencies, percentages. Inferential
analyses (chi-square tests and logistic regression) have identified factors associated with
complications.
Results: A total of 421 patients admitted to the Post-Anesthesia Care Units (PACU) of JUMC
were sampled. Out of this 44.4% had postoperative complications in the PACU and among those
15.9% patients had developed more than one complication. Pain, 17.4% of the complications is
the most common complication followed by cardiovascular complications which is 15.2%,
hypothermia 7.4%, respiratory complications 7.1% and GIT complications is 1.9%. Age (AOR =
1.97, 95% CI: 1.13–3.43), ASA classification (AOR = 3.54, 95% CI: 1.91–6.56), Duration of
surgery (AOR = 1.74, 95% CI: 1.05–2.87) had significant association with the prevalence of
postoperative complications in the PACU.
Conclusions and Recommendations: Results from this study show that prevalence of
postoperative complications in the PACU of JUMC is significantly high. Pain, cardiovascular
complications and hypothermia are the most common complications which needs focus, early
detection and addressed by the PACU and anesthesia team. Patients with advanced age, higher
ASA class and who had prolonged duration of surgery requires close follow up in the PACU in
order to reduce the prevalence of postoperative complications.
