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People who are at their best potential health before surgery often have a faster recovery.
At the UPMC Center for Perioperative Care (CPC), our focus is on helping patients prepare for an upcoming surgery that requires anesthesia. Our team works with patients and other specialists to develop a personalized care plan to optimize health, avoid surgical complications, and improve the recovery experience. We call this perioperative care or pre-habilitation.
Your doctor will refer you to the CPC for treatment before your surgery. Taking time before surgery is called, a "surgical pause."
A surgical pause gives provides time to assess the patient and lower the risks of surgery. We tailor care to each patient’s unique needs. This treatment may involve helping to improve your health before moving forward with surgery.
The CPC team uses its “Risk Analysis Index” to evaluate patients waiting for non-essential surgery. We use this tool to assess your level of risk of having complications during or after surgery.
We also may find that a safer, non-surgical treatment is a better option. If it is determined that surgery is not the best path forward, the CPC team will offer alternative care options. The CPC team includes your primary care provider, a surgeon, and other experts. They work together with a CPC anesthesiologist, who leads the team.
Patients will work with their "surgery coach." This coach will mentor and support patients on their journey to prepare for surgery.
If you are getting treatment for pain or preparing for surgery at UPMC, you can attend a 2-hour, single-session class that focuses on evidence-based skills to help you manage pain. Family members and/or support persons also may attend the class.
The class is led by certified Empowered Relief® instructors. It provides information to help reduce pain intensity, decrease its impact on daily life, and improve sleep quality. During the class, you will:
The class is offered quarterly.
Registration is required. To register, visit Online Registration (asapconnected.com)
For questions, please contact pain@upmc.edu.
Our mission at CPC is to find and reduce the factors that put people at risk during surgery. This work is vital for those having surgery, their loved ones, and the health care teams that support us all.
Our system will address your:
We also detect people at high risk of issues during and after surgery based on their physical health and known diseases.
Research has linked these factors to:
Our data shows that having high-risk people consult with the CPC team and prepare for surgery helps:
These stats mean that our perioperative treatment leads to:
Overall, the people we treat and the surgeons we work with have had positive responses to our efforts.
