RAPM Focus

The management of complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) continues to challenge clinicians—especially when conservative and interventional strategies fall short. This episode of RAPM Focus, hosted by RAPM Editor and Social Media Editor Ryan D’Souza, MD, explores these challenges in managing CRPS with Daniël van der Spek, MD, and Frank Huygen, MD, PhD, FIPP, FFPMCAI, following the August 2025 publication of their original research pa...

Kick off 2026 with the January episode of RAPM Focus, where RAPM Social Media Editor Alopi Patel, MD, converses with Josh Gleicher, MD, MSc, FRCPC, and Hermann dos Santos Fernandes, MD, PhD, following the September 2025 publication of their original research paper, “Outpatient continuous adductor canal block (CACB) for total knee arthroplasty: a double-blinded randomized placebo-controlled trial.”

Dr. Gleicher is a staff anesthesio...

The 2025 year draws to a close with the December episode of RAPM Focus, where RAPM Social Media Editor Alopi Patel, MD, converses with Benjamin S. Brooke, MD, PhD, and Michael “Jay” Buys, MD, following the April 2024 publication of their original research paper, “Postsurgical opioid prescribing among veterans using community care for orthopedic surgery at non-VA hospitals compared to a VA hospital with a transitional pain service: ...

In the November 2025 episode of RAPM Focus, ASRA Pain Medicine Past-President and RAPM Editor David Provenzano, MD, converses with Megan Rolfzen, MD, and Karsten Bartels, MD, PhD, MBA, following the July 2025 publication of their original research article, “Post-Surgical Medication, Awareness, Recovery, and Tracking Using a Phone-Based App (SMART-APP): A Randomized Controlled Trial.”

In their clinical trial, Drs. Rolfzen, Bartels, ...

In this unique episode of RAPM Focus, Editor in Chief Dr. Brian Sites’s fellow, Dr. Meredith Peck, discusses regional anesthesia fellowships with Dr. Giselle Maquoit.

Fellowship applications have seen an obvious decline over the past several years due to an extremely lucrative job market. However, regional anesthesia fellowships still offer invaluable experiences for regional anesthesiologists.

Meredith Peck, DO, is a current regio...

Gastric ultrasound can be so important in assessing aspiration risk in any number of patients preoperatively, and POCUS can be an incredibly valuable tool in this circumstance. In this episode of RAPM Focus, RAPM social media editor, Alopi Patel, MD, converses with Jacob Wrobel, MD, and Alexander Doyal, MD, MPH, FASA, following the June 2025 publication of “Developing a method for ultrasound estimation of gastric volume in patients...

In the era of fast-tracked surgery and same-day discharge, anesthesiologists are looking for strategies to optimize recovery without compromising safety or pain control. A long-standing debate centers around whether low-dose bupivacaine or mepivacaine is the better spinal agent to promote early ambulation after total knee arthroplasty. In this episode of RAPM Focus, RAPM Editor-in-Chief, Brian Sites, MD, explores this debate with C...

In this episode of RAPM Focus, Editor-in-Chief Brian Sites, MD, discusses the use of buprenorphine for acute pain management with Thomas Hickey, MD, MS, following the February 2025 publication of “Buprenorphine versus full agonist opioids for acute postoperative pain management: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.”

Dr. Hickey is full-time staff at the West Haven VA where he is medical director of ...

In this episode of RAPM Focus, Editor-in-Chief Brian Sites, MD, speaks with RAPM Editor Ryan D’Souza, MD, and Nasir Hussain, MD, following the October 2024 publication of “Hidden Influence? Unmasking Conflicts of Interest from Randomized Clinical Trials on Spinal Cord Stimulation for Chronic Pain.”

Let’s set the stage first. Spinal cord stimulation, or SCS, is a therapy that involves implanting a device that sends electrical signal...

In this episode of RAPM Focus, Alopi Patel, MD, speaks with K. Elliott Higgins III, MD, and Courtney Burns, MD, about their powerful pain palette essay, “Beyond the block: a canvas for well-being and conversation in anesthesiology and pain medicine.” This essay accompanies Healing Emotional Wounds—a community-engaged art piece by medical and scientific illustrator Morgan Granzow.

Dr. Higgins is the director of health and well-be...

In this episode of RAPM Focus, executive editor Steven Cohen, MD, discusses the September 2024 publication of “Current state of the pain medicine match: perspective and an eye to the future,” with Meredith Barad, MD, Anuj Aggarwal, MD, and Lynn Kohan, MD.

This letter explores the rationale behind reassessing the NRMP’s utility for pain medicine, examining historical and current trends, and considering the implications of withdrawin...

This AI-generated episode of RAPM Focus discusses the May 2024 publication of “Single-bolus Injection of Local Anesthetic, With or Without Continuous Infusion, for Interscalene Brachial Plexus Block in the Setting of Multimodal Analgesia: A Randomized Controlled Unblinded Trial” by Dr. Patrick Rhyner et al.”

For anyone facing shoulder surgery, pain management after the procedure is crucial. In this paper, Rhyner et al. question whe...

Hosted by RAPM Editor Eric Schwenk, MD, this episode of RAPM Focus welcomes RAPM Associate Editor Mark Bicket, MD, PhD, and medical student Sama Ramo following the recent publication of their original research paper, “Risk Factors for Persistent Postoperative Opioid Use: An Entity Distinct from Chronic Postsurgical Pain,” included in the February 2025 special edition of RAPM, titled “Tackling the Challenge of Chronic Postsurgical P...

This episode of RAPM Focus introduces something new—an episode generated completely by artificial intelligence, specifically Google Notebook. As part of RAPM’s commitment to exploring innovative ways to deliver content, RAPM is trialing this approach and would love to hear your feedback.

This AI-generated episode is centered around an original research paper first published in RAPM in November 2024, “Standardizing nomenclature in r...

In this episode of RAPM Focus, Editor-in-Chief Brian Sites, MD, is thrilled to welcome Kesavan Sadacharam, MD, and Allison Fernandez, MD, following the April 2024 publication of their original research paper, “Multisite prospective study of perioperative pain management practices for anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction in adolescents: Society for Pediatric Anesthesia Improvement Network (SPAIN) Project Report.”

Unwarranted va...

In this episode of RAPM Focus, Editor-in-Chief Brian Sites, MD, is thrilled to welcome Laura Graham, PhD, MPH, and Sesh Mudumbai, MD, MS, following the April 2024 publication of their brief technical report, “Use of natural language processing method to identify regional anesthesia from clinical notes.”

One definition of medicine is the science and practice of the diagnosis treatment in prevention of disease. Science itself involve...

In this special episode, RAPM Focus takes a break from its usual format of discussing specific research projects to discuss instead how research in health care is increasingly vital yet often hindered by escalating costs and time constraints. Editor-in-Chief Brian Sites, MD, discusses these challenges with Alexander (Xan) Abess, MD, and Jonathan Weed, MD.

Traditional, large scale, randomized controlled trials are resource intensive...

In this episode of RAPM Focus, Editor-in-Chief Brian Sites, MD, is delighted to be joined by Alexander Stone, MD, and Kamen Vlassakov, MD, following the April 2024 publication of their original research paper, “Anesthesia Start Time Documentation Accuracy where Peripheral Nerve Block is the Primary Anesthetic.”

Understanding the intricacies of billing is crucial for anesthesiologists in all practice settings, not just in private pr...

In this episode of RAPM Focus, Editor-in-Chief Brian Sites, MD, is delighted to be joined by Ryan D’Souza, MD, and Nasir Hussain, MD, following the February 2024 publication of their review, “Methodological and Statistical Characteristics of Meta-Analyses on Spinal Cord Stimulation for Chronic Pain: A Systematic Review.” Both of these anesthesiologists are prolific in their research and contributions to the regional anesthesia and ...