The PACU personnel constantly interact between
patients. Infectious agents are easily transferred
from one patient to another, especially when
proper hand hygiene is ignored. Many procedures
have a high risk of cross-transmission, that is, extubation, stopcock access, catheter care, or dressing
adjustment. A patient cross-contaminated with a pathogenic microorganism in the PACU will not
exhibit signs and symptoms of the HAI until leaving
the PACU. The infection control office will eventually report the HAI to the ICU or ward. The result is that PACU personnel may be unaware of their role in the HAI. The National Institute of Health is investigating a technique similar to DNA identification to link cross-contamination of a patient to the microbiome of the health care worker.