Our goal is to enhance the outcome of our patients undergoing surgery by helping patients avoid medical complications and promoting postoperative recovery.
At Washington University School of Medicine, our patients receive perioperative care from international leaders in the field. We bring together compassionate clinicians, cutting edge technology, education and research to ensure every patient receives high-quality care. To achieve optimal health after surgical procedures, we believe:
- we must understand our patients. This includes their priorities, their medical problems, their skills, and their limitations.
- problems that may occur during and after surgery must be anticipated and prepared for.
- communication between patients and all of their clinicians must be promoted throughout their procedural journey.
- enhanced monitoring systems should be employed to detect changes in patient trajectories.
We are dedicated to promoting patient-centered and reliable health care from the moment surgery is scheduled to the day the patient returns to their normal life activities.
Patient Care
Preoperative Care
Patients planning to undergo a surgical procedure are evaluated by our medical staff at the Center for Preoperative Assessment and Planning (CPAP).
Intraoperative Care
On the day of their procedure, patients are cared for by anesthesiology clinicians specializing in a variety of areas of anesthesiology and surgery.
Post-operative Care
Our clinicians identify and prepare for each patient’s individual needs and possible complications. Our goal is to minimize complications after surgery and enhance our patient’s health.
Research
Our perioperative medicine team is persistently striving to improve patient care across the perioperative care continuum. The Department of Anesthesiology at Washington University in St. Louis consistently ranks among the top five nationally in NIH funding and our division of perioperative medicine leads and participates in many studies spanning multiple divisions.
Our clinicians are continuously working to develop mechanisms to enhance the monitoring of patients during surgery and after surgery. Much of our research focuses on the development of systems to identify risk factors or problems that appear around the time of surgery. This allows clinicians to be able to more rapidly and reliably provide treatment for patients who may experience any problems.
Education
Perioperative medicine is an evolving specialty that aims to improve the health outcomes of patients starting in the preparatory stages for surgery and extending until full recovery is achieved. We prioritize the education of our clinical trainees in identifying how patient-specific factors such as health priorities, variations in function, and comorbid diseases affect the outcomes of surgical care, and how negative health impacts can be minimized.
Perioperative Medicine Fellowship
We offer advanced training in perioperative care in the form of a Perioperative Medicine Fellowship which trains clinicians how to excel in clinical care, administrative functions, and research throughout the entire perioperative pathway (pre, intra, and post-op). Fellowship experiences include participation in several multi-disciplinary clinical, research, and leadership teams.
The perioperative medicine specialty involves many different types of clinicians. Our division works in collaboration with other departments and divisions and is involved not only in the training of fellows and residents, but also nurse practitioners, student registered nurse anesthetists (SRNAs), and registered nurses.