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.

Preoperative care

Anyone planning or considering a surgical procedure is evaluated by our medical staff in the Center for Preoperative Assessment and Planning (CPAP). Our staff helps to prepare patients for surgery and other procedures, whether their surgery is taking place at Barnes-Jewish Hospital, Barnes-Jewish West County Hospital, or the outpatient surgery facility at the Center for Advanced Medicine-South County. Our team includes more than 10 physicians, 30 nurse practitioners, and 30 RNs who specialize in preparing patients to undergo surgery and other invasive procedures.

Our pre-surgical preparation services include evaluations conducted in-person at our Center for Preoperative Assessment and Planning (CPAP) clinics as well as over the phone, depending on patient candidacy. Appointments take place at our three clinics (map), located around the St. Louis metropolitan area:

  • Barnes-Jewish Hospital CPAP (view map)
  • Barnes-Jewish West County CPAP (view map)
  • Center for Advanced Medicine – South County (view map)

We work with patients, their doctors, and the patient’s electronic health records to identify key information that may influence a patient’s surgical risk level and impede their recovery. When risks are identified, we coordinate with the patient’s medical care teams to reduce these risks prior to surgery taking place, whenever this is possible. This information is also conveyed to the clinicians who will be involved in the patient’s surgery so that each patient’s concerns are known, and care can be customized to each patient so that safety and recovery are optimized.

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. The perioperative medicine team supports the intraoperative team by providing comprehensive patient assessment information and supporting the patient in their preparation for surgery.

We prepare our patients to be ready for their surgery by:

  1. assisting in the patient’s planning to ensure they arrive for surgery in their best possible state of health and have carried out the right preparatory steps to be ready for surgery;
  2. ensuring that medical risks related to each patient’s chronic medical conditions are known and understood by the patient and their medical team;
  3. ensuring the necessary information to customize care to each patient is available to the clinical team that will participate in the surgical procedure.
Post-operative care

The first stage of post-operative care occurs in the Post-anesthesia Care Unit (PACU), or in the ICU for patients who are undergoing more complex procedures or have higher risks of medical complications. In the PACU, a team consisting of PACU trained nurses, residents, and anesthesiologists care for every patient and make sure they are in the right condition to transfer to another unit in the hospital or to be discharged home.

The perioperative medicine team supports the post-operative care team by identifying and preparing for each patient’s possible complications and individual needs. This preparation is especially important because the early time period after surgery carries the greatest risk for most medical complications.