Behind The Knife: The Surgery Podcast

Step outside the operating room with us to explore the art, creativity, and humanism that shape a surgeon’s life beyond medicine. Our guest Dr. Adnan Alseidi is not only a renowned hepatobiliary surgeon and surgical educator, but also an avid diver, photographer, and chef. Dr. Alseidi takes us from World War 2 shipwrecks to his restaurants around the world, reflecting on the fragility of humanity revealed in the oceans and moments of connection simmering in the kitchen. Along the way, he shares how creativity, service, and humility fuel his passions and his practice. Join hosts Pooja Varman, MD, Judith French, PhD, and Jeremy Lipman, MD, MHPE, for this inspiring conversation about finding joy and connection in and beyond surgical practice. Learning Objectives By the end of this episode, listeners will be able to  1.     Describe the ways in which creative pursuits can deepen a surgeon’s perspective on medicine and life. 2.     Identify parallels between artistry and surgery, including precision, patience, a

Stop powering through the pain! Surgery is a high-performance sport, yet surgeons often operate with minimal support, leading to chronic pain and potential career-ending injuries. This episode dives into the crucial topic of surgical ergonomics, explaining why your posture, instrument size, and even hydration impact your performance and longevity. Learn essential OR hacks—from adjusting monitor height and using micro-break stretches to strategic pre-case fueling—to mitigate the physical toll. We also share candid stories from surgeons who faced debilitating injuries, providing critical advice on acknowledging pain, seeking help, and treating recovery like a full-time job. It’s time to invest in your physical health, because your hands and posture are your most vital instruments. Hosts:  Agnes Premkumar, MD (General Surgery Resident at Creighton University) @agnespremkumar  Steven Thornton, MD (General Surgery Resident at Duke University) @swthorntonjr Guests: Kathryn Coan, MD (Dignity Health, Phoenix) A

Carotid artery disease management has come a long way. From the days when every stroke meant an endarterectomy to a modern era defined by precision, evidence, and evolving technology. With advances in medical therapy and newer techniques like TCAR, the vascular surgeon has even more to consider when choosing the best treatment for carotid disease. Join us as we break down the major landmark trials NASCET, CREST and the Asymptomatic Carotid trials, and discuss how their findings shape our clinical decisions in practice today. Hosts: ·      Christian Hadeed -PGY 4 General Surgery, Brookdale Hospital Medical Center ·      Paul Haser -Division Chief, Vascular Surgery, Brookdale Hospital Medical Center ·      Andrew Harrington, Vascular surgery, Brookdale Hospital Medical Center ·      Lucio Flores, Vascular surgery, Brookdale Hospital Medical Center Learning Objectives: · Review the key findings and clinical implications of the NASCET, ACST, and CREST trials. · Discuss patient selection for carotid endarterect

Pediatric trauma hits differently—both emotionally and clinically. In this Big T Trauma episode (2 of 2), Drs. Teddy Puzio, Charles Cox, and Tyler Simpson join Dr. Patrick Georgoff to break down real-world pediatric trauma cases. They explore how mechanism predicts injury, when imaging helps (and when it harms), and the nuances of recognizing non-accidental trauma. Packed with practical takeaways and memorable teaching points, this episode will sharpen your instincts for the next injured child you treat. PECARN Pediatric Imaging Guidelines: https://emscimprovement.center/education-and-resources/peak/multisystem-trauma/imaging/ This episode of Big T Trauma was sponsored by Teleflex, a global provider of medical devices. Learn more at teleflex.com and at the Teleflex Trauma and Emergency Medicine LinkedIn page. BIG T Trauma Series: https://app.behindtheknife.org/podcast-series/big-t-trauma Please visit https://behindtheknife.org to access other high-yield surgical education podcasts, videos and more.  If y

Pediatric trauma hits differently—both emotionally and clinically. In this Big T Trauma episode (1 of 2), Drs. Teddy Puzio, Charles Cox, and Bhupaul Ramsuchit join Dr. Patrick Georgoff to break down real-world pediatric trauma cases that highlight the ABCs, airway pitfalls, and the art of staying one step ahead when things go sideways. From weight-based dosing and needle cricothyrotomy, to recognizing subtle signs of shock, this one’s packed with practical pearls you can use on your next pediatric activation. UT Houston Pediatric MTP: https://med.uth.edu/surgery/pedimtp/ This episode of Big T Trauma was sponsored by Teleflex, a global provider of medical devices. Learn more at teleflex.com and at the Teleflex Trauma and Emergency Medicine LinkedIn page. BIG T Trauma Series: https://app.behindtheknife.org/podcast-series/big-t-trauma Please visit https://behindtheknife.org to access other high-yield surgical education podcasts, videos and more.   If you liked this episode, check out our recent episodes her

Mesh infections are dreaded complications in hernia repair. This episode highlights relevant mesh properties, pathogens, and management strategies so you can tackle the next mesh infection with confidence! Hosts: Dr. Maggie Bosley - @MBosleyMD Dr. Sean Orenstein - @OrensteinSean Dr. Amber Sandoval Dr. Peter Ferrin Institution: Oregon Health & Science University Learning Objectives - Compare the long-term weight loss and diabetes remission rates of Gastric Bypass vs. Sleeve Gastrectomy. - Identify the appropriate revision options (Bypass vs. Sadie) for a patient with a failed sleeve based on the reason for failure (reflux vs. weight regain). - Recognize that all bariatric operations are superior to untreated obesity, making patient selection paramount. Episode Sponsor Disclosures: Visit goremedical.com/btk to learn more about GORE® ENFORM Biomaterial. Refer to Instructions for Use at eifu.goremedical.com for a complete description of all applicable indications, warnings, precautions and contraindication

In this episode, Drs. Ali, Georgoff, and Swenson share some big-time updates to our oral board simulator.  We've also included a full example test for you to listen to. Whether you are studying for the exam, or for your next rotation, try the Behind the Knife Oral Board Simulator for free: https://behindtheknifeoralboardsimulator.org What's new: Massive Usage & Feedback: The Beta launch of the AI-powered oral board simulator has been a huge success, thanks to the incredible support and actionable feedback from the surgical community.  Your feedback has allowed for advanced fine tuning and a better user experience. Next-Level Feedback: Your readiness score just got a whole lot more honest! The score is now a more accurate reflection of your performance and the number of the 362 testable conditions and procedures you've actually covered. The Examiner Makeover: Experience a real-world test day with 20 different examiner voices (fast, slow, accented) to prepare you for any personality you might face. Intr

In this episode, we explore practical tips for caring for older adults in the clinical setting through a case-based discussion highlighting common perioperative challenges and strategies for success. We also take a deeper dive into the American College of Surgeons Geriatric Surgery Verification Program, including its goals, impact, and how clinicians can get involved in advancing surgical care for the aging patient population. Take Home Points:  The older adult population is the fastest growing patient population and it is important we focus on patient-centered care for this population, as this is a population that almost all of us will engage with.  If you or your hospital isn’t prepared to get verified yet, there are still small processes that can be implemented that can make an impactful difference on your patients. Geriatric Surgery Verification is at the cutting edge of quality improvement. Like other verification programs (trauma, bariatric) patients will soon seek out these centers that can best a

In this episode, the Surgical Endoscopy team reviews applications of per oral endoscopic myotomy (POEM) at different locations in the gastrointestinal tract. Specifically, they discuss esophageal POEM for achalasia, G-POEM for gastroparesis, and Z-POEM for management of a Zenker’s diverticulum. The team describes outcomes for these procedures as well as an overview of the procedural steps and postoperative management. Common pitfalls to POEM are deliberated along with advice on how to mitigate challenging situations when they arise. VIDEO LINK: https://app.behindtheknife.org/video/surgical-endoscopy-series-ep-3-per-oral-endoscopic-myotomy Hosts: • Dr. Sullivan “Sully” Ayuso, Minimally Invasive Surgery Fellow, Endeavor Health (Evanston, IL), @SAyusoMD (Twitter) • Dr. H. Mason Hedberg, Minimally Invasive Surgeon, Endeavor Health (Evanston, IL) • Dr. Trevor Crafts, Minimally Invasive Surgeon, Rocky Mountain VA Medical Center (Denver, CO), @CraftsTrevor (Twitter) • Dr. Michael McCormack, Minimally Invasive Su

This new mini-series on Behind the Knife will delve into the technical aspects of the Operative Standards for Cancer Surgery, developed through the American College of Surgeons Cancer Research Program. This first episode highlights the colon cancer operative standard. Hosts: Timothy Vreeland, MD, FACS (@vreelant) is an Assistant Professor of Surgery at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences and Surgical Oncologist at Brooke Army Medical Center Lexy (Alexandra) Adams, MD, MPH (@lexyadams16) is a Surgical Oncology fellow at MD Anderson Cancer Center. Guest: George Chang, MD, MS, MHCM, FACS, FASCRS, FSSO is a Professor and the interim Department Chair in the Department of Colon and Rectal Surgery at MD Anderson Cancer Center.   Learning Objectives: The extent of colon mobilization and resection depends on tumor location, with high vascular ligation of the tumor-bearing segment to complete adequate regional lymphadenectomy. The technical steps of right colectomy are reviewed, including high

Sleeve, bypass, or something new – which surgery really dominates the day?  This Bariatric Surgery Journal Club dives into the debate over which bariatric operation is best. We compare the outcomes of the gastric bypass, sleeve gastrectomy, and the newer Sadie procedure, exploring how bypass may have an edge in long-term diabetes remission and weight loss.  We also discuss revisional options for failed sleeves and the importance of matching the patient to the right operation for their specific needs. Hosts: - Matthew Martin, trauma and bariatric surgeon at the University of Southern California/Los Angeles General Medical Center (Los Angeles, California)  - Adrian Dan, bariatric and MIS surgeon, program director for the advanced MIS bariatric and foregut fellowship at Summa Health System (Akron, Ohio) - Crystal Johnson Mann, bariatric and foregut surgeon at the University of Florida (Gainesville, Florida) - Katherine Cironi, general surgery resident at the University of Southern California/Los Angeles Gener

Liver transplantation continues to evolve as strategies expand to address organ shortage and optimize outcomes. Normothermic machine perfusion (NMP) offers a novel way to preserve and assess donor livers prior to implantation. In this episode of Behind the Knife, our transplant team at University of Nebraska Medical Center discusses the latest evidence from randomized trials, practical applications in donation after circulatory death (DCD) grafts, and how NMP is shaping clinical decision-making in high-risk transplants.  Hosts -  Madeline Cloonan, MD PhD, General Surgery Resident, University of Nebraska Medical Center, @maddie_cloonan   - Jacqueline Dauch, MD, Assistant Professor, University of Nebraska Medical Center  -  Shaheed Merani, MD PhD, Associate Professor, University of Nebraska Medical Center  - Alan Langnas, DO, Professor, University of Nebraska Medical Center  Learning Objectives - Describe the principles of normothermic machine perfusion (NMP) and how it differs from static cold storage.  -

In this kickoff episode of the Behind the Knife Global Surgery Series, we dive into what global surgery really means—and why it matters to all of us. Five billion people lack access to safe, timely, and affordable surgical care. Our guest, Dr. Juan Carlos Puyana, shares powerful insights on redefining global surgery, building meaningful collaborations, and why surgeons in high-resource countries should care deeply about this work. If you want to broaden your vision of surgery, challenge assumptions, and hear stories that connect operating rooms from South Carolina to South Africa, this is an episode you won’t want to miss. Hosts/Guest: Mike M. Mallah, MD, FACS, FICS Director of Global Surgery at Medical University of South Carolina @MikeMMallahMD @MUSCGlobalSurg mallahm@musc.edu Juan Carlos Puyana, MD, FACS O’Brian Chair of Global Surgery at the Royal College of Surgeons Ireland @jcpuyanamd @RCSI_GlobalSurg Learning objectives: Define global surgery and explain how its meaning has evolved to highlight

Surgical resection of perihilar cholangiocarcinoma (pCCA) is one of the highest-risk elective operations performed. The obstructive jaundice suffered by patients preoperatively, central location of the tumors, and extensive nature of the resection make pCCA one of the most challenging HPB disease processes. In this episode from the HPB team at Behind the Knife, listen in on the discussion about perioperative strategies to improve outcomes for surgical resection of perihilar cholangiocarcinoma. Hosts Anish J. Jain MD (@anishjayjain) is a current PGY4 General Surgery Resident at Stanford University and a former T32 Research Fellow at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. Timothy E. Newhook MD, FACS (@timnewhook19) is an Assistant Professor within the Department of Surgical Oncology at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. He is also the associate program director of the HPB fellowship.  Jean-Nicolas Vauthey MD, FACS (@VautheyMD) is Professor of Surgery and Chief of the HPB Section,

Join the Behind the Knife Surgical Oncology Team as we discuss the nuances in the work up and management of patients with pheochromocytomas. Hosts: Timothy Vreeland, MD, FACS (@vreelant) is an Assistant Professor of Surgery at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences and Surgical Oncologist at Brooke Army Medical Center. Daniel Nelson, DO, FACS (@usarmydoc24) is Surgical Oncologist/HPB surgeon at Kaiser LAMC in Los Angeles. Lexy (Alexandra) Adams, MD, MPH (@lexyadams16) is a 2ndYear Surgical Oncology fellow at MD Anderson. Beth (Elizabeth) Barbera, MD (@elizcarpenter16) is a General Surgery physician in the United States Air Force station at RAF Lakenheath. Joe (Joseph) Broderick, MD, MA (@joebrod5) is a General Surgery research resident between his second and third year at Brooke Army Medical Center. Galen Gist, MD (@gistgalen) is a General Surgery research resident between his second and third year at Brooke Army Medical Center. Learning Objectives: 1)    Review the presentation of pa

“It’s 5pm and your Consultant (attending) has headed off home. A patient arrives in the resuscitation room blood spurting from a stab wound in the armpit. Join Roisin – a junior Major Trauma fellow, Prash – a surgical trainee, Max – a senior trauma surgery fellow, and Chris – a Consultant trauma surgeon, as we talk through decision making from point of injury to aftercare in this challenging trauma surgical case”. • Hosts: Bulleted list of host names, including title, institution, & social media handles if indicated 1.     Mr Prashanth Ramaraj. General Surgery trainee, Edinburgh rotation. @LonTraumaSchool 2.     Dr Roisin Kelly. Major Trauma Junior Clinical Fellow, Royal London Hospital.  3.     Mr Max Marsden. Resuscitative Major Trauma Fellow, Royal London Hospital. @maxmarsden83 4.     Mr Christopher Aylwin. Consultant Trauma & Vascular Surgeon and Co-Programme Director MSc Trauma Sciences at Queen Mary University of London. @cjaylwin • Learning objectives: Bulleted list of learning objectives. A

Learn more: https://behindtheknifeoralboardsimulator.org/ It has arrived!  Introducing Behind the Knife's Oral Board Simulator (beta version): Unlimited unique oral board scenarios Available 24/7 Diverse examiners Natural conversation  Detailed, actionable feedback based on SCORE curriculum and American Board of Surgery grading scheme Try it for free for a limited time! Note, this is our FIRST version of the Oral Board Simulator.  To make it better, we need your feedback.  After using the simulator, please take <1 minute to complete the feedback form.  This will help us refine the simulator and improve the user experience.   On this pod, we are thrilled to introduce the newest member of the Behind the Knife team, Dr. Matthew Swenson.  Dr. Swenson is a general surgeon and U.S. Air Force veteran.  He earned his medical degree from the Uniformed Services University and completed his general surgery residency at the University of Nevada in Las Vegas. After training he was stationed in Anchorage, Alaska for

Welcome to the 6th episode of our BTK/ASGBI series!  During this series, BTK fellow Agnes Premkumar and ASGBI hosts Jared Wohlgemut and Gita Lingam will compare and contrast various aspects of surgery between the United States and the United Kingdom, debating who does what better.  In this episode, we delve into surgical training, current challenges, and hopes for the future of surgical training in the US and the UK. We will be discussing the advent of the EPA curriculum in the US, the current challenge of obtaining a speciality position in the UK, and tips for making the resident to attending/junior faculty transition smoothly. Dr. Jeremy Lipman represents the US while Dr. Phil Pearce represents the UK in this thought-provoking conversation. Dr. Lipman is a colorectal surgeon at the Cleveland Clinic and the director of graduate medical education for all training programs at the Cleveland Clinic. Additionally, he is an Associate Dean for Graduate Medical Education and Professor of Surgery at Case Western Re

Why are we still treating acute uncomplicated diverticulitis with antibiotics? There is plenty of evidence from several randomized controlled trials demonstrating that symptomatic management alone yields similar results. If we should continue prescribing antibiotics for acute uncomplicated diverticulitis, which patients should undergo treatment and when? Join Drs. Jared Hendren, Elissa Dabaghi, Joseph Trunzo, Ajaratu Keshinro, and David Rosen as they discuss the management of uncomplicated diverticulitis while reviewing groundbreaking literature. Hosts: -Jared Hendren, MD Institution: Department of General Surgery, Digestive Disease Institute, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, Ohio - Elissa Dabaghi, MD Institution: Department of General Surgery, Digestive Disease Institute, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, Ohio - Joseph Trunzo, MD Institution: Department of Colon and Rectal Surgery, Digestive Disease Institute, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, Ohio Social Media Handle: X/Twitter @joseph_t

Psst… wanna hear some tea? Join Drs. Maya Hunt, John Woodward, and Cait Silvestri as they discuss gossip - what it is, what it means, and how it can impact the surgical training environment. Joined by authors of a recent paper deconstructing gossip in surgical residency, Dr. Bobbi Ann Adair White and former CoSEF leader Dr. Joseph L’Huillier, the team examines the ways gossip can be positive and negative, how we can mitigate the harms that come with it, and reflect on some of our own experiences with gossip as trainees. Episode Hosts: - Dr. Maya Hunt, Indiana University, mayahunt@iu.edu - Dr. John Woodward, University at Buffalo, @JohnWoodward76, jmwoodwa@buffalo.edu -  Dr. Cait Silvestri, Columbia University, @CaitSilvestri, cs4004@cumc.columbia.edu  -  CoSEF: @surgedfellows, cosef.org   Guests: -  Dr. Joseph L’Huillier, University of Buffalo, @JoeLHuillier101, josephlh@buffalo.edu -  Dr. Bobbi Ann Adair White, MGH Institute of Health Professions, @_BAAW_, bwhite2@mghihp.edu  Learning Objectives: -  D