PAZA

Before your procedure

Fasting before an operation, examination or procedure

You may drink clear fluids up to 1 hour before your procedure. Stop non-clear fluids and food at least 6 hours before the scheduled time of your procedure. For babies under 1 year, breast milk and formula are allowed up to 4 hours before the scheduled time of the procedure.

Your pathway in the PAZA

① Preparation in your room

On your ward, we prepare you for your procedure. We explain what will happen and when you will go to the PAZA.

Before you leave, you remove jewellery, piercings, contact lenses and, if applicable, your glasses.
You can usually keep hearing aids on until the pre-op area.

For children, one parent or carer may accompany them as far as the operating theatre.

② The pre-op area

In the pre-op area, we prepare you further for your procedure. We check:

identity and procedure
allergies
last food or drink

Sometimes you will receive medication, an IV line or additional anaesthesia here. For children, we usually insert the IV line in the operating theatre.

The PAZA pre-op area

③ To the operating theatre

When it is time, a nurse will take you to the operating theatre. Anaesthesia will start there, followed by the procedure. The team stays with you and monitors you continuously.

For children, one parent or carer stays with the child until they are under anaesthetic and asleep. Afterwards, a staff member escorts you back to the waiting area.

After your procedure, you will go to the recovery room. You will wake up gradually there and we will monitor you until you are fully awake and stable. You will be connected to monitors that measure your readings. You may sometimes hear beeps or alarms. This is normal and is for your safety.

The nurse checks how you are feeling and monitors pain or nausea.

For children, one parent or carer may join them as soon as the child is awake enough and stable.

Waking up in the PAZA

⑤ Back to your room

You may return to your room once you are awake enough, your vital signs are stable, and your pain or nausea is under control. How long you stay in the recovery room depends on your procedure and how you recover.

Sometimes you stay one or two nights in the PAZA for extra monitoring. We always discuss this with you in advance.

Staying overnight in the PAZA

In pictures

How does admission for a procedure via a ward work? (in Dutch)

Child-friendly

Louka is getting an operation

Sometimes, after your operation, you have to stay one or more nights in hospital. Louka shows what those days in hospital are like.

Who will look after you?

In the PAZA, a specialist team looks after you. We monitor you closely until you can safely return to your ward.

The team

You are cared for by nurses, anaesthetists and logistics staff. Everyone wears green clothing. The badge shows each person’s role.

yellow: doctor
green: nurse
blue: logistics staff member

Continuous monitoring

We continuously monitor your vital signs, such as your heart rate, blood pressure, breathing and oxygen levels. This allows us to act quickly if needed.

Tell us straight away if you are in pain or feel nauseous, and we will help you immediately.

In the PAZA, visits are very limited so that we can monitor you in peace and quiet.
Children (up to 18 years) may be accompanied throughout their entire pathway in the PAZA by 1 adult: in the pre-op area, into the operating theatre, and then again in the recovery room.
For adults, visits are usually not possible. Only in exceptional cases can a visitor come, after discussion with the responsible nurse. We arrange this with you by telephone.
Once you are fully awake, we take you back to your ward. From then on, the usual visiting hours for the hospitalisation wards apply.

+32 16 34 30 01 - available day and night
Head nurse: Greetje Hendriks

Questions?

As a family member, you can always call if you have questions or would like extra information.
Agree among yourselves who will call, so we can keep the number of calls limited.
Please also give us your phone number, so we can keep you informed.

UZ Leuven gasthuisberg campus

Postanesthesie-zorgafdeling (PAZA)

Herestraat 49

3000 Leuven

Getting there and services

In numbers

Here, we prepare you calmly for your procedure, close to the operating theatres.

After your procedure, you are monitored here until you are fully awake and stable.

Children wake up in a separate children’s area, with child-friendly care.

If you need this type of anaesthetic, it is done in a separate bay.

Our specialist team looks after your safety and comfort day and night.

This means that every day we safely guide many patients through their recovery after anaesthesia.

Last edit: 28 december 2025