GI Insights

Host: Peter Buch, MD, FACG, AGAF, FACP Guest: Francis Farraye, MD Patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) have an increased risk of developing infections, and some may be preventable with a vaccine. Approximately 70 percent of patients with ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s disease will be on immunosuppressive therapy at some point during their treatment course, so it’s best to try to address vaccines before they’re immunosuppressed. So to walk us through some strategies for increasing the number of patients with gastrointestinal diseases who get vaccinated, Dr. Peter Buch is joined by Dr. Farraye, Co-Author of the article, titled “How to Implement a Successful Vaccination Program in Outpatient Gastroenterology Practices: A Focus on Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease and Chronic Liver Disease,” which appeared in Gastroenterology in 2023 and Professor of Medicine at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida, where he also directs the Inflammatory Bowel Disease Center.

Host: Peter Buch, MD, FACG, AGAF, FACP Guest: Alexander Ford, MD Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is diagnosed using the ROME 4 criteria, and fortunately, most patients who meet the criteria for IBS clinically are unlikely to have another underlying explanation for their symptoms. However, a common misconception is that IBS is a diagnosis of exclusion, so to learn more about this and other controversies surrounding IBS, join Dr. Peter Buch as he speaks with Dr. Alexander Ford, Professor of Gastroenterology and Honorary Consultant of Gastroenterology at Leeds Institute of Medical Research at St. James University of Leeds.

Host: Peter Buch, MD, FACG, AGAF, FACP Guest: David Wan, MD Many patients with lower gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding are on anticoagulants, and they may need specific reversal agents depending on what antithrombotic they’re on. Tune into this episode to learn more about the article that dives into the management and treatment of acute lower GI bleeding and the challenges along the way with Dr. Peter Buch as he speaks with Dr. David Wan, Associate Professor of Medicine at New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center.

Host: Peter Buch, MD, FACG, AGAF, FACP Guest: Katherine Falloon, MD Extraintestinal manifestations (EIMs) that occur in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are almost any manifestation that occur outside the gastrointestinal tract. And patients with Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis are at an increased risk for developing these manifestations. So to review EIMs in IBD and discuss the importance of a multidisciplinary approach, Dr. Peter Buch is joined by Dr. Katherine Falloon, Gastroenterologist at the Cleveland Clinic.

Host: Peter Buch, MD, FACG, AGAF, FACP Guest: Ali Soroush, MD, MS Due to recent technological advancements, the use of artificial intelligence to detect a variety of gastroenterological conditions like Barrett’s esophagus, gastric cancer, and colon polyps is increasingly being explored. Learn about the application, benefits, and pitfalls of artificial intelligence in gastroenterology with Dr. Peter Buch and Dr. Ali Soroush, Assistant Professor of Gastroenterology at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York.

Host: Peter Buch, MD, FACG, AGAF, FACP Guest: Joy Liu, MD For patients with refractory constipation, it’s important to evaluate the psychological impact of these symptoms. Unfortunately, this disorder can easily affect a patient’s quality of life and keep them from doing their normal routine. So what treatment options can help alleviate some of the burden? Dive in with Dr. Peter Buch as he speaks with Dr. Joy Liu, Instructor of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern.

Host: Peter Buch, MD, FACG, AGAF, FACP Guest: Prabhleen Chahal, MD Post-endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) pancreatitis is the most dreaded complication of this procedure. So what are the patient-related, procedure-related, and operator-related risk factors for developing post-ERCP pancreatitis, and how can we work to prevent it? Join Dr. Peter Buch as he speaks with Dr. Prabhleen Chahal, Program Director of the Advanced Endoscopy Fellowship at the Cleveland Clinic.

Host: Peter Buch, MD, FACG, AGAF, FACP Guest: Benjamin L. Cohen, MD Guest: Stefan Holubar, MD, MS Affecting over 25 percent of Crohn's disease patients, perianal disease is a persistent and difficult-to-treat condition. Due to its complex management and significant impact on patients' quality of life, a multidisciplinary approach to care is crucial. Here to discuss the management of perianal Crohn’s disease, Dr. Peter Buch is joined by Dr. Benjamin Cohen, Co-Section Head and Clinical Director for Inflammatory Bowel Disease at Cleveland Clinic, and Dr. Stefan Holubar, IBD Surgery Section Chief and Director of Research at Cleveland Clinic.

Host: Peter Buch, MD, FACG, AGAF, FACP Guest: Paul Kwo, MD In patients with chronic live disease, consuming alcohol could contribute to progressive liver damage and a variety of cancers. So alcohol consumption should not be a regular occurrence for those who have underlying chronic liver disease. And approximately four percent of patients with alcohol use disorder are referred at early stages for intervention compared to other liver diseases. To learn more, join Dr. Peter Buch to hear insights from Dr. Paul Kwo, Professor of Medicine and the Director of Hepatology at Stanford University.

Host: Peter Buch, MD, FACG, AGAF, FACP Guest: Edward L. Barnes, MD, MPH Pouchitis is a common inflammatory complication after ileal pouch-anal anastomosis (J-pouch) surgery, but the why behind patients who develop this condition seems to be unclear. So to dive into the updated guidelines for the management of pouchitis and to also hear about some knowledge gaps in preventing pouchitis, join Dr. Peter Buch as he takes a deep dive with Dr. Edward Barnes, Associate Professor of Medicine and Associate Fellowship Program Director at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine and Primary Author of article, titled “AGA Clinical Practice Guideline on the Management of Pouchitis and Inflammatory Pouch Disorders,” which was published in Gastroenterology in 2024.

Host: Peter Buch, MD, FACG, AGAF, FACP Guest: Shilpa Junna, MD Symptoms of portal vein thrombosis (PVT) are primarily driven by the extent of the obstruction that the PVT is causing, and some of it’s also driven by how quickly the thrombosis has developed. There’s also some cases where symptoms can be nonspecific. So the role of a multidisciplinary team in helping to address this condition is very important because every case is unique. This collaboration can help provide the best care to our patients case by case. Dive in with Dr. Peter Buch and Dr. Shilpa Junna, Transplant Hepatologist and Assistant Professor at the Cleveland Clinic, to learn more.

Host: Peter Buch, MD, FACG, AGAF, FACP Guest: Paul Feuerstadt MD, FACG, AGAF C. difficile is a major problem in the United States. On top of that, patients who are diagnosed with this infection have the chance of getting caught in a vicious cycle of recurrence. So how can we provide our patients with the best care and work with them to give them the best treatment option? Learn more with Dr. Peter Buch as he takes a deep dive with Dr. Paul Feuerstadt, Assistant Clinical Professor of Medicine at Yale-New Haven Hospital.

Host: Peter Buch, MD, FACG, AGAF, FACP Guest: Michael Lucey, MD There are a lot of considerations to keep in mind when it comes to liver transplantation in patients with various diseases, like metabolic-associated stereotactic liver diseases, alcoholic liver disease, hepatitis B and C, and more. Joining Dr. Peter Buch to discuss those key considerations surrounding liver transplantation is Dr. Michael Lucey, Professor of Medicine at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health.

Host: Peter Buch, MD, FACG, AGAF, FACP Guest: Benjamin Schmidt, MD It’s become clear that social media is here to stay, and it’s become a way that people get their information and spread information. Dive into this episode to learn about the benefits and challenges of social media in healthcare from a recently published article with Dr. Peter Buch and Dr. Benjamin Schmidt, Gastroenterologist at Esse Health in St. Louis, Missouri. He’s also the author of the article, titled “How a GI Fellow Found a Following: Harnessing the Power of Social Media for Education and Fun,” which was published in Digestive Diseases and Sciences in 2023.

Host: Peter Buch, MD, FACG, AGAF, FACP Guest: David Talan, MD Until recently, surgery was always utilized for appendicitis, but now, antibiotics are an alternative treatment. Find out who the best candidates are for an antibiotic regimen, the efficacy and safety of this approach to treating acute uncomplicated appendicitis, and more with Dr. Peter Buch and Dr. David Talan, Professor of Medicine at UCLA Geffen School of Medicine.

Host: Peter Buch, MD, FACG, AGAF, FACP Guest: Miguel Regueiro, MD There are a few factors that may predict patients who are more likely to experience postoperative recurrence of Crohn’s disease. So how should we be monitoring our patients for recurrence, and what therapies are available? To learn more, Dr. Peter Buch is joined by Dr. Miguel Regueiro, Chief of Cleveland Clinic’s Digestive Disease Institute.

Host: Peter Buch, MD, FACG, AGAF, FACP Guest: David T. Rubin, MD Intestinal ultrasound has become a useful tool in assessing disease progression and pathophysiology of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). It’s an approach to visualizing the intestines using a transabdominal ultrasound probe to provide real-time information. But could research from the STARDUST substudy on ustekinumab provide new options for these patients? Tune in with Dr. Peter Buch for an in-depth conversation with Dr. David Rubin, Professor of Medicine at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine.

Host: Peter Buch, MD, FACG, AGAF, FACP Guest: Kyle Staller, MD, MPH Unfortunately, there are not a lot of specific pharmacologic agents for incontinent patients; however, using typical antidiarrheal therapies can be helpful for patients who have diarrhea. So what other treatment options should we know about? To learn more, join Dr. Peter Buch as he speaks with Dr. Kyle Staller, Assistant Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and Director of the Gastrointestinal Motility Laboratory at Mass General.

Host: Peter Buch, MD, FACG, AGAF, FACP Guest: Julia J Wattacheril, MD, MPH Non-invasive biomarkers for metabolic dysfunction-associated steatosis liver disease (MASLD) are used to stratify risk and assess disease severity in our patients. In this episode, Dr. Peter Buch is joined by Dr. Julia Wattacheril, Associate Professor of Medicine at Columbia University Irving Medical Center, to discuss the American Gastroenterological Association’s clinical practice update on the role of noninvasive biomarkers in MASLD.

Host: Peter Buch, MD, FACG, AGAF, FACP Guest: David Liska, MD Since the 1990s, clinicians have been seeing a significant increase in colorectal cancer among young patients, who are under the age of 50. A multidisciplinary approach is key as diagnostic and treatment considerations are specific to their age. Dive in with Dr. Peter Buch as he’s joined by Dr. David Liska, Section Chief of Oncology in the Department of Colorectal Surgery at the Cleveland Clinic.