The Operative Word

In this episode, Thomas K Varghese, Jr, MD, FACS, is joined by Carrie Chan, MSN, MPH, from the University of California, San Francisco, and Karthik Balakrishnan, MD, FACS, from Stanford Medicine Children’s Health. They discuss their recent article,“Development, Validation, and Comparison of Machine Learning Models for Predicting Pediatric Surgical Site Infections Using the NSQIP-P Database,” which represents the largest study to date on predicting pediatric surgical site infection. The authors developed machine-learning models and ultimately recommend a regularized logistic regression model for clinical integration, balancing performance and feasibility for implementation. Findings support using routine preoperative data for personalized infection prevention and preoperative planning.

 

Disclosure Information: Ms Chan and Drs Varghese and Balakrishnan have nothing to disclose.

 

To earn 0.25 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ for this episode of the JACS Operative Word Podcast, click here to register for the course and complete the evaluation. Listeners can earn CME credit for this podcast for up to 2 years after the original air date.

 

Chan, Carrie T MSN, MPH; Pletcher, Mark J MD, MPH; Balakrishnan, Karthik MD, MPH, FACS; Hswen, Yulin ScD, MPH; Scheffler, Aaron PhD, MS. Development, Validation, and Comparison of Machine Learning Models for Predicting Pediatric Surgical Site Infections Using the NSQIP-P Database. Journal of the American College of Surgeons 242(3):p 712-722, March 2026. | DOI: 10.1097/XCS.0000000000001683

 

Learn more about the Journal of the American College of Surgeons, a monthly peer-reviewed journal publishing original contributions on all aspects of surgery, including scientific articles, collective reviews, experimental investigations, and more.

 

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In this episode, Thomas K Varghese, Jr, MD, FACS, is joined by Laurie J Kirstein, MD, FACS, from Memorial Sloan Kettering. They discuss Dr Kirstein’s recent article, “Results of an American College of Surgeons Prospective National Quality Improvement Collaborative to Successfully Overcome Barriers to Cancer Care Across the US,” in which 194 American College of Surgeons (ACS)-accredited cancer programs caring for 99,057 patients participated in a National Quality Improvement Collaborative led by the ACS, “Breaking Barriers,” which reduced radiotherapy non-adherence by over 30% at the patient and hospital levels across multiple program types, census regions, and disease sites.

 

Disclosure Information: Drs Varghese and Kirstein have nothing to disclose.

 

To earn 0.25 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ for this episode of the JACS Operative Word Podcast, click here to register for the course and complete the evaluation. Listeners can earn CME credit for this podcast for up to 2 years after the original air date.

 

Chan, Kelley MD, MS; Reilly, Eileen MSW; Janczewski, Lauren M MD, MS; Gentry, Sharon MSN, RN; Biggins, Camille MHA; Haffty, Bruce MD; Shelton, Charles MD; Yang, Anthony D MD, MS, FACS; Weigel, Ronald J MD, PhD, MBA, FACS; Kirstein, Laurie J MD, FACS. Results of an American College of Surgeons Prospective National Quality Improvement Collaborative to Successfully Overcome Barriers to Cancer Care Across the US. Journal of the American College of Surgeons 242(1):p 247-256, January 2026. | DOI: 10.1097/XCS.0000000000001637

 

Learn more about the Journal of the American College of Surgeons, a monthly peer-reviewed journal publishing original contributions on all aspects of surgery, including scientific articles, collective reviews, experimental investigations, and more.

 

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In this episode, Lillian Erdahl, MD, FACS, is joined by Jessica Liu, MD, MS, MPH, from the Department of Surgery, Harbor UCLA Medical Center. They discuss Dr Liu’s recent article, “Identifying Diagnostic Gaps and Mitigation Strategies for Older Adult Emergency General Surgery Patients: A Scoping Review,” in which the authors identified the current diagnostic issues, clinical tools, and clinician feedback strategies in the older adult emergency general surgery (EGS) setting. While challenges unique to older adults exist, variability in the use of tools to improve identification of older adult conditions in EGS and gaps in feedback to improve diagnosis remain.

 

Disclosure Information: Drs Erdahl and Liu have nothing to disclose.

 

To earn 0.25 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ for this episode of the JACS Operative Word Podcast, click here to register for the course and complete the evaluation. Listeners can earn CME credit for this podcast for up to 2 years after the original air date.

 

Liu, Jessica K MD, MS, MPH; Peters, Xane D MD, MS; Remer, Sarah L MD; Beestrum, Molly MLIS; Cooper, Zara MD, FACS, MPH; Russell, Marcia M MD, FACS; Hall, Bruce L MD, FACS, PhD; Ko, Clifford Y MD, FACS, MSHS, MS. Identifying Diagnostic Gaps and Mitigation Strategies for Older Adult Emergency General Surgery Patients: A Scoping Review. Journal of the American College of Surgeons 241(5):p 904-916, November 2025. | DOI: 10.1097/XCS.0000000000001480

 

Learn more about the Journal of the American College of Surgeons, a monthly peer-reviewed journal publishing original contributions on all aspects of surgery, including scientific articles, collective reviews, experimental investigations, and more.

 

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In this episode, JACS Editor-in-Chief Tom Varghese, MD, FACS, and Digital Media Editor Lillian Erdahl, MD, FACS, review 6 impactful articles from the past year, highlighting key themes shaping modern surgical practice. Dr Erdahl focuses on the surgeon as a subject, discussing research on moral distress, second-victim syndrome, health policy challenges, and peer surgical coaching. Dr Varghese then explores advances in surgical science, including pragmatic applications of artificial intelligence for risk prediction and operative documentation, as well as comparative evidence on robotic, laparoscopic, and open operation. Together, they emphasize clinically relevant research, thoughtful innovation, and ongoing critical inquiry to support surgeons and improve patient care. Listen to the podcast episodes mentioned at facs.org/operative-word.

 

Articles discussed:

Surgeon Perception and Attitude Toward the Moral Imperative: Institutionally Addressing Second Victim Syndrome in Surgery

A Framework for Managing Moral Challenges Related to Health Policy for the Surgeon

What About the Coach? Mixed Methods Study Assessing the Experience of Coaches in a Peer Surgical Coaching Program

Validation of Artificial Intelligence-Based POTTER Calculator in Emergency General Surgery Patients Undergoing Laparotomy: Prospective, Bi-Institutional Study

Enhancing Accuracy of Operative Reports with Automated Artificial Intelligence Analysis of Surgical Video

Robotic vs Laparoscopic vs Open Ventral Hernia Repair: Insights from a Network Meta-Analysis of Randomized Clinical Trials

 

Disclosure Information: Drs Varghese and Erdahl have nothing to disclose.

 

Learn more about the Journal of the American College of Surgeons, a monthly peer-reviewed journal publishing original contributions on all aspects of surgery, including scientific articles, collective reviews, experimental investigations, and more.

 

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In this episode, Tom Varghese, MD, FACS, is joined by Ziad Sifri, MD, FACS, from Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, and Matthew Linz, MD, from Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. They discuss Drs Sifri and Linz’s recent article, “Postoperative Pain Management in the US vs Low- and Middle-Income Countries by US Surgeons,” in which they found that surgeons in the US prescribe significantly more opioids after inguinal hernia repair compared with when they operate on short-term surgical trips to low- and middle-income countries, despite continued efforts to reduce opioid overprescription in the US.

 

Disclosure Information: Drs Varghese, Linz, and Sifri have nothing to disclose.

To earn 0.25 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ for this episode of the JACS Operative Word Podcast, click here to register for the course and complete the evaluation. Listeners can earn CME credit for this podcast for up to 2 years after the original air date.

Linz, Matthew S MD1; Parvin-Nejad, Fatemeh P MD2; Srinivasan, Nivetha MD3; Vegunta, Geetasravya MD1; Eng, Ashley K BS1; Kim, Eugene BA MBS; Alexander, Imani BS1; Elgammal, Fatima MD2; Benson, Ryan MD2; Benneh, Albert Y MD4; Gyakobo, Mawuli K MD5,6; Lopez, Lorena MD7; Jalloh, Samba MD8; Sifri, Ziad C MD FACS2. Postoperative Pain Management in the US vs Low-and-Middle-Income Countries by US Surgeons. Journal of the American College of Surgeons ():10.1097/XCS.0000000000001538, July 30, 2025. | DOI: 10.1097/XCS.0000000000001538

 

Learn more about the Journal of the American College of Surgeons, a monthly peer-reviewed journal publishing original contributions on all aspects of surgery, including scientific articles, collective reviews, experimental investigations, and more.

#JACSOperativeWord