Adhesions are one of those surgical complications we’d all prefer to never think about—but we don’t get that luxury. They’re common, costly, and often underestimated. Whether it’s a patient returning with chronic abdominal pain, secondary infertility, or adhesive small bowel obstruction, adhesions remain a persistent reminder that the operation doesn’t end when the skin is […]

Practical, evidence-based strategies to shorten ileus and length of stay Every surgeon has lived this story. The operation is clean. The dissection elegant. The anastomosis airtight. Your patient looks stable, lines are out, and pain is well controlled. You’re ready to sign discharge orders—except their abdomen is still distended, and they haven’t passed gas. It […]

Why knowing when not to place a drain may matter more than how to manage one. The Bottom Line: Routine prophylactic abdominal drainage after pancreatoduodenectomy (PD) is no longer universally necessary and may even increase certain risks in low-risk patients. A selective, risk-based approach—reserving drains for high-risk scenarios and removing them early when placed—yields equal […]

Why The Best OR Leaders Learn To Shift Gears The Bottom Line: True surgical leadership isn’t about being the loudest voice in the room. It’s about knowing when to command, when to collaborate, and when to get out of the way. Your ability to shift styles isn’t a soft skill—it’s the difference between a good […]

A clear-eyed look at the evolving conversation around uncomplicated appendicitis — and what it means for surgeons. What’s happening? We used to think there were only two kinds of people: those who had their appendix out, and those who hadn’t yet. The scalpel was a rite of passage. You doubled over in pain, someone pressed […]