In this episode of RAPM Focus, Raj Gupta, MD, FASRA, hosts a critical conversation with RAPM Editor-in-Chief Brian Sites, MD, on the intersection of patient care and surgical recovery in healthcare economics, following the December 2025 publication of Dr. Sites’s research letter, “Impact of removing liposomal bupivacaine from a health system formulary on length of stay: an observational study in video-assisted thoracoscopic wedge resection.”

Dr. Raj Gupta is a professor of anesthesiology at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee. He is the medical director of Vanderbilt Health Belle Meade Surgery Center. Dr. Gupta previously served on the ASRA Pain Medicine Board of Directors.

Dr. Brian Sites is a professor of anesthesiology and orthopedic surgery at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth and Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center. He is the medical director of the acute pain medicine service. Dr. Sites’s clinical passion and research centers around the role of image guidance for regional anesthesiology.

*The purpose of this podcast is to educate and to inform. The content of this podcast does not constitute medical advice, and it is not intended to function as a substitute for a healthcare practitioner’s judgement, patient care, or treatment. The views expressed by contributors are those of the speakers. BMJ does not endorse any views or recommendations discussed or expressed on this podcast. Listeners should also be aware that professionals in the field may have different opinions. By listening to this podcast, listeners agree not to use its content as the basis for their own medical treatment or for the medical treatment of others.

Podcast and music produced by Dan Langa. Find us on X @RAPMOnline, LinkedIn @Regional Anesthesia & Pain Medicine, Facebook @Regional Anesthesia & Pain Medicine, and Instagram @RAPM_Online.

In this episode of RAPM Focus, RAPM’s Social Media Editor, Alopi Patel, MD, engages with author and RAPM Associate Editor Dr. Sesh Mudumbai, MD, MS, and Oluwatobi Hunter, DNP, RN-BC, AGACNP-BC, following the December 2025 publication of their original research paper, “Utilization and opioid outcomes of a transitional pain service in high-risk surgical veterans: a cohort study.”

Dr. Sesh Mudumbai is an associate professor of anesthesiology at Stanford University School of Medicine and director for clinical informatics systems and perioperative analytics at the VA Palo Alto Health Care System. His research focuses on understanding pain trajectories, opioid outcomes, and healthcare utilization patterns in surgical populations, with particular emphasis on developing data-driven and informatics-related approaches to improve perioperative care for high-risk veterans. He leads a research program at the intersection of clinical anesthesiology, pain medicine, and health services research.

Dr. Oluwatobi “Tobi” Hunter is the lead nurse practitioner for perioperative pain management and co-director of the transitional pain service at the Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System. Her clinical interests include perioperative pain management, contingency management for substance use disorders, buprenorphine initiation, auricular acupuncture, and building collaborative multidisciplinary teams. She engages in scholarship through peer-reviewed publications, webcasts, and speaking engagements.

*The purpose of this podcast is to educate and to inform. The content of this podcast does not constitute medical advice, and it is not intended to function as a substitute for a healthcare practitioner’s judgement, patient care, or treatment. The views expressed by contributors are those of the speakers. BMJ does not endorse any views or recommendations discussed or expressed on this podcast. Listeners should also be aware that professionals in the field may have different opinions. By listening to this podcast, listeners agree not to use its content as the basis for their own medical treatment or for the medical treatment of others.

Podcast and music produced by Dan Langa. Find us on X @RAPMOnline, LinkedIn @Regional Anesthesia & Pain Medicine, Facebook @Regional Anesthesia & Pain Medicine, and Instagram @RAPM_Online.

In this episode of RAPM Focus, Editor in Chief Brian Sites, MD, discusses the pros and cons of perioperative gabapentinoids with author and RAPM Executive Editor Eric Schwenk, MD, and Kishor Gandhi, MD, following the November 2025 publication of his brief technical report, “Pro-con debate on perioperative gabapentinoids: a nuanced approach is the best one.”

Dr. Eric Schwenk is a professor of anesthesiology and perioperative medicine at the Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, PA and is the vice chair of faculty affairs and professional development. His clinical and research interests are outcomes after orthopedic surgery, chronic postsurgical pain, and ketamine in migraine. He serves on the ASRA Pain Medicine Guidelines and Regulatory Advocacy Committee.

Dr. Kishor Gandhi is a clinical associate professor and associate residency director at Virtua College of Medicine and Life Sciences at Rowan University in New Jersey. His clinical interests include regional anesthesia and acute pain. Dr. Gandhi has been in clinical practice for 20 years.

*The purpose of this podcast is to educate and to inform. The content of this podcast does not constitute medical advice, and it is not intended to function as a substitute for a healthcare practitioner’s judgement, patient care, or treatment. The views expressed by contributors are those of the speakers. BMJ does not endorse any views or recommendations discussed or expressed on this podcast. Listeners should also be aware that professionals in the field may have different opinions. By listening to this podcast, listeners agree not to use its content as the basis for their own medical treatment or for the medical treatment of others.

Podcast and music produced by Dan Langa. Find us on X @RAPMOnline, LinkedIn @Regional Anesthesia & Pain Medicine, Facebook @Regional Anesthesia & Pain Medicine, and Instagram @RAPM_Online.