Organ transplants surge at UPMC during pandemic

UPMC performed a record-high number of lung and liver transplants in April, even as the covid-19 pandemic and ensuing lockdown caused the health system’s overall revenue and volume to plummet, executives said.

UPMC doctors did 12 lung transplants during the month of April, up from an average of six such procedures per month.

Doctors did 15 living donor liver transplants — up from an average of eight per month and the most ever completed by UPMC in a one-month period.

The uptick in transplant surgeries happened while patient visits and procedures dropped by 50% to 70% across the emergency department, inpatient care and surgical cases because of pandemic-related restrictions and stay-at-home orders.

“During the covid crisis, UPMC continued to serve patients with lifesaving procedures,” said Leslie Davis, chief operating officer of UPMC Health Services Division.

Davis attributed the increase in transplants partly to UPMC getting contacted by many programs across the country “because they didn’t know what to do with patients” during the crisis, Davis said.

“It was also just the incredible focus of our transplant team, staying in touch with their patients, bringing them in,” Davis said. “And this was a time when the hospital in some ways was much safer, because there were fewer other patients around … and not swarms of visitors or families. We were just able to take care of these patients in a very efficient way.”

UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital — which officials say is the busiest obstetrics unit in the region — also did not slow down during the lockdown.

“We saw no drop in our OB volumes during the covid crisis, and we’re on pace to do 10,000 deliveries this year,” said Dr. Richard Beigi, president of Magee-Womens Hospital.

Some patients chose Magee because it never stopped allowing at least one visitor during births.

UPMC also rolled out several new tools to help new mothers get information virtually, including MyHealthyPregnancy and lactation consultation apps.

Like other providers statewide, UPMC has resumed nonurgent procedures and encourages patients not to put off medical care.