The Operative Word

In this podcast series, the hosts speak with recently published Journal of the American College of Surgeons authors about the motivation behind their latest research and the clinical implications it has for the practicing surgeon. Spread the word on social media by using the hashtag #JACSOperativeWord.

Hear all episodes of The Operative Word on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Podbean, iHeartRadio, or wherever you listen to your podcasts.

Latest Episode

Episode 45: Patient-Based Decision Making for Opioid Prescriptions After Ambulatory Breast Operation—A Randomized Clinical Trial

In this episode, Thomas K Varghese, Jr, MD, FACS, is joined by Serena Lofftus, MD, and James Wu, MD, FACS, from UCLA. They discuss Drs Lofftus and Wu’s recent article, “Patient-Based Decision Making for Opioid Prescriptions After Ambulatory Breast Operation: A Randomized Clinical Trial,” which evaluated whether incorporating patient choice into postoperative prescribing decisions could reduce opioid prescribing and consumption after ambulatory breast operation without negatively affecting pain control or quality of life.

Disclosure Information: Drs Varghese, Lofftus, and Wu have nothing to disclose.

About the Hosts

Lillian Erdahl, MD, FACS is a Clinical Associate Professor of Surgery and practices breast surgical oncology at the University of Iowa and the Iowa City VA Medical Center. She serves as Associate Program Director in for the Breast Surgical Oncology Fellowship. Her research interests include breast cancer prevention, faculty development, and simulation in teaching clinical examination. 

She completed her General Surgery residency at Penn State University including a 2-year research fellowship in surgical education. After residency, she also completed a 1-year fellowship in breast surgical oncology at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. She completed her Bachelor of Science in Biology at Iowa State University along with a minor in Spanish.

Outside of the hospital, she enjoys yoga, running, cross-country skiing, cooking, and gardening. Her 2 children help her to find joy in each moment of the day.

Disclosure Information: Dr. Erdahl has nothing to disclose.

Dr Thomas Varghese, Jr is a cardiothoracic surgeon at the University of Utah (U of U) in Salt Lake City. He is chief of the Section of General Thoracic Surgery at U of U, chief value officer and associate chief medical quality officer at the Huntsman Cancer Institute, and a professor in the Department of Surgery at the U of U School of Medicine. He is a nationally funded researcher and author and holds prominent leadership positions in several surgical organizations. He spends his free time with his family, as well as actively engaging on social media (X: @tomvarghesejr LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/tomvarghesejr)

Disclosure Information: Dr. Varghese has nothing to disclose.

The opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the participants and not necessarily that of the ACS.