[The history of post-anesthesia care units].

Post anesthesia care units (PACU) are designed to handle the utilization of the operating rooms and provide a place for postoperative patients to recover consciousness. PACU first appeared in the 1940s, prevailed in the United States in the 1950s, and expanded gradually to Canada, South Africa and other places, and were popularized in the UK and other European countries in the 1960s. PACU were developed widely in China after 1990 and expanded rapidly after the 21st century. It is now taken as an assessment indicator for evaluating hospitals. A set of management systems for PACU was gradually regulated and established, such as anesthesia record sheets, equipment and personnel training in the process of PACU development. It is currently evolving towards centralization, economization and specialization.麻醉后监测治疗室（PACU）是为加快手术间周转速度，为术后患者提供苏醒的地方。PACU出现于20世纪40年代，1950年代开始在美国盛行，逐渐向加拿大、南非等地扩展，1960年代在瑞典、英国等欧洲国家普及，中国是在1990年以后大力发展PACU，21世纪以后迅速壮大，现在已经成为三级医院的一项考核指标。在PACU推广的同时，逐渐形成了一套管理制度，如麻醉记录单、设备设施、人员培训的完善与制度化，并向集中化、经济化、专业化方向发展。.