Surgery

Host: Mark DeLegge, MD

Guest: T. Karl Byrne, MD

What are the advantages to each of the two main types of obesity surgeries— gastric bypass and lap band surgery? How do the recovery times, efficacy and potential complications compare? Host Dr. Mark DeLegge welcomes Dr. T. Karl Byrne, professor of surgery and medical director of the Bariatric Surgery Center at the Medical University of South Carolina, to discuss the role of the gastric bypass and lap band procedures in treating obesity. Are some patients clear candidates for one procedure over the other? And how is a third procedure — the sleeve gastrectomy — becoming another attractive option for treating obesity?

Host: Mark Nolan Hill, MD

Guest: Sam Bhayani, MD

Robotic surgery has made important in-roads into the fields of cardiac and urologic surgery. Though much of the work in urologic surgery has focused on the prostate, we're now seeing a trend toward the use of robotics in procedures to remove kidney tumors. Given the delicate nature of kidney tissue, these procedures can present considerable technical challenges, but they may also provide better outcomes for our patients with kidney cancer. Dr. Sam Bhayani, assistant professor of surgery and co-director of robotic surgery at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, attributes these improvements to the better views of the tumor targets and a more efficient procedure afforded by the robotic instruments. Dr. Bhayani joins host Dr. Mark Nolan Hill to speak about current trends in robotics and renal cancers.

Host: Mary Leuchars, MD

Guest: Alex Haynes, MD

Little is known currently about the amount and availability of surgical care worldwide. How does this challenge development of surgical care protocols globally and, by extension, the formation of international public health policies? Dr. Alex Haynes, surgical research fellow at the Harvard School of Public Health and Massachusetts General Hospital, and lead author of a recent study evaluating the WHO surgical safety checklist, joins host Dr. Mary Leuchars to address these clinical and political challenges.

Host: Mary Leuchars, MD

Guest: Alex Haynes, MD

The annual number of surgeries performed worldwide outnumbers even childbirth. What do the latest studies examining surgical checklists tell us about their impact on reducing global morbidity and mortality? Sharing insights on this subject is Dr. Alex Haynes, surgical research fellow at the Harvard School of Public Health and Massachusetts General Hospital, and lead author of a recent study evaluating the WHO surgical safety checklist. Dr. Haynes and colleagues successfully demonstrated that the use of a simple surgical checklist during major operations can lower the incidence of deaths and complications by more than one-third. Dr. Mary Leuchars hosts.

Host: Larry Kaskel, MD

Guest: Hyunmi Choi, MD

Is brain surgery better than medicine for temporal lobe epilepsy? Host Dr. Larry Kaskel talks with Dr. Hyunmi Choi, assistant professor of clinical neurology at Columbia University Medical Center in the Comprehensive Epilepsy Center, about her research into the benefits of brain surgery over continued medication management.

Host: Mark Nolan Hill, MD

Guest: Jose Biller, MD

Neurologic complications associated with cardiac surgery can involve just about any part of the peripheral and central nervous systems. Yet varying degrees of neurologic decline have been linked to multiple kinds of surgery, not just heart procedures. How can we determine that the adverse long-term neurologic outcomes following cardiac surgery are truly distinctive to cardiac procedures? Dr. Jose Biller, professor of neurology and neurological surgery at the Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine and chair of neurology at Loyola University Health System, probes this question and more with host Dr. Mark Nolan Hill.

Host: Mark Nolan Hill, MD

Guest: Jose Biller, MD

Though innovations in surgical technology and anesthetic techniques have greatly improved the outlook following cardiac surgery, we must remain attentive to the possibility of post-operative complications. One area of concern includes adverse neurologic outcomes. Dr. Jose Biller, professor of neurology and neurological surgery at the Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine and chair of neurology at Loyola University Health System, talks with host Dr. Mark Nolan Hill about the key considerations for evaluating cognitive changes following a cardiac procedure. Excluding the most evident post-operative neurologic sequelae, how should we proceed in determining that there is a real problem?

Host: Lee Freedman, MD

Guest: Steven Dubovsky, MD

How have neurosurgical procedures for psychiatric conditions advanced since the development of the lobotomy? Which types of neurosurgical procedures are best for treating depression or obsessive-compulsive disorder? Dr. Steven Dubovsky, professor and chair of the department of psychiatry at the State University New York at Buffalo, explains lesioning surgeries, vegus nerve stimulation and deep brain stimulation for treating depression. Dr. Lee Freedman hosts. Can these procedures cure patients of their psychiatric conditions?

Host: Mark Nolan Hill, MD

Guest: W. Randolph Chitwood, Jr., MD

The most pressing question facing cardiac valve surgery is whether to undergo a replacement or repair procedure. Though outcomes of valve reconstruction are, in many cases, proving notably better than valve replacement, it is estimated that only a small majority of potential candidates are undergoing the valve repair. How can we reconcile this discrepancy—one that would appear to be placing our patients at greater risk? Host Dr. Mark Nolan Hill welcomes Dr. Randolph Chitwood, professor and chair of cardiovascular surgery at the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University, founding director of the East Carolina Heart Institute in Greenville, North Carolina, and one of the earliest pioneers of these procedures, to share his perspective on the current state of robot-assisted valvular surgery. Dr. Chitwood also takes a moment to peer into the future of cardiac surgery, anticipating what we'll see from the field of robotics in the years to come.

Host: Doug Weaver, MD

Guest: Don Poldermans, MD, PhD

For patients undergoing major non-cardiac surgery, perioperative management often focuses on recognition and treatment of cardiac risk factors and disease. Dr. Don Poldermans, professor of medicine and head of perioperative cardiac care at Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, joins host Dr. Doug Weaver to explain how medical treatment and testing should factor into pre-operative preparations. How should you proceed with patients who you suspect possesses some risk, but displays no risk factors? Does aspirin complicate our approach to certain surgeries for certain patients?