In this podcast, Dr. Romina Pena asks Dr Steven Wexner various questions on  General Complications in Colorectal Surgery.

They discuss anastomotic leaks, a difficult problem. Dr. Wexner explains his 4 strategies for mitigating this complication. Also, with the ongoing development of technologies, the doctors talk about their expectations for the future, and how it will affect them on a daily basis, for example, in avoiding multiple crossing staple lines.

Another complication discussed is Surgical Site Infections (SSI). Protocols for prevention were discussed in a previous podcast with Dr Antonio de Lacy - therefore, in this one, Dr Wexner how there still are still SSIs, despite all all the knowledge and prevention in the field. They also talk about how bowel preparation might change due to the microbiome.

The final complication discussed bleeding. Dr Pena asks Dr Wexner sks about his thoughts on the future, specifically, how new technology such as Artificial Intelligence could prevent bleeding. Finally, she asks him about other methods for clean treatment  when facing this stressful complication.