E34: Rural Surgery on the Cutting Edge with Dr. Greg Gerrish

What does it take to bring advanced foregut surgery to a rural hospital?

Host Dr. Randy Lehman sits down with Dr. Greg Gerrish, a third-generation surgeon practicing in South Dakota, to talk shop on the real-world challenges and wins of rural surgical care. From Barrett’s esophagus to emergency thoracotomies, Dr. Gerrish brings both technical depth and day-to-day experience to the conversation.

They cover Dr. Gerrish’s approach to laparoscopic hiatal hernia repair, his reasons for avoiding bougie-assisted intubation, and how he selects patients for LINX procedures. He also walks through a high-stakes trauma case that required fast thinking and decisive action. 

 

This episode offers a look into the kind of surgical work being done far from academic centers—but with no less precision or purpose.

 

0:00 Intro

3:23 Dr. Gerrish's Background

10:25 Why Rural Surgery Is Special To You

13:46 How I Do It: Laparoscopic Foregut

1:03:48 Financial Corner

1:04:49 Classic Rural Surgery Story

1:12:21 Closing Thoughts

 

Resources Mentioned:

🌐 Foregut Disease Foundation course: https://www.forgutdiseasefoundation.org/

🌐 Comprehensive General Surgery Review Course (Mayo Clinic): https://ce.mayo.edu/surgery/content/comprehensive-general-surgery-review-course-2024