One of the most famous battle cries of the 19th century was "Remember the Alamo!" Standing in the center of busy downtown San Antonio surrounded by modern progress, the Alamo is clearly a popular tourist attraction. And when nearly 800 wound care professionals convened in the Lone Star State for the 24th Annual Clinical Symposium on Advances in Skin & Wound Care, they would leave remembering much more than the Alamo.
Nurses, physicians, podiatrists, physical therapists, and other healthcare professionals were among symposium attendees at the Grand Hyatt San Antonio and the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in San Antonio, Texas. Stimulating educational sessions, including preconference workshops, keynote speakers, general sessions, and a wide array of breakout presentations, along with poster displays and 145 booth exhibits, highlighted this year's event.
Among the preconference workshops was a "Virtual Option: Debridement Training Workshop." This option to completing the didactic portion of the workshop allowed participants to complete the lecture portion of the workshop prior to attending the conference, then attend the hands-on session at the end of the morning preconference sessions.
An inspiring opening address was delivered by Mike Schlappi, president of Mike Schlappi Communications, Draper, Utah. Confined to a wheelchair since a shooting accident as a teenager, Mr Schlappi shared his uplifting message, "If You Can't Stand Up, Stand Out!" The audience joined him on an emotional journey of his recovery and subsequent success as a Paralympic gold medalist, sports enthusiast, husband, father, and motivational speaker.
Another moving keynote address, "Ignite Your Life!" was given by John O'Leary, president of Rising Above, St Louis, Missouri. As a 9-year-old boy, Mr O'Leary was burned on 100% of his body and not expected to survive. Despite losing his fingers to amputation, undergoing multiple skin grafts, and enduring a lengthy recovery, Mr O'Leary overcame these challenges to become a successful businessman, chaplain, international speaker, husband, and father.
Among the many highlights of this year's conference was a breakfast satellite symposium supported by an educational grant from KCI, San Antonio, Texas. "Comparative Effectiveness Research: The Political and Clinical Views" was presented by William Ennis, DO, MBA, FACOS, director of Wound Healing & Tissue Repair, University of Illinois at Chicago, Illinois; and William Li, MD, president and medical director, Angiogenesis Foundation, Cambridge, Massachusetts. Sharon Baranoski, MSN, RN, CWOCN, APN, DAPWCA, FAAN, president, Wound Care Dynamics, Shorewood, Illinois, served as facilitator. The Comparative Effectiveness Research Initiative is part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of the Obama Administration. In this dynamic session, the speakers addressed what comparative effective research is and how it will impact the political arena, as well as the clinical setting.
General sessions were open to all conference goers and were well attended and well received by the participants. One of the general sessions featured on-site speaker, Jeffrey Niezgoda, MD, FACHM, FACEP, facilitating a presentation and question-and-answer session via a live video feed with Jack Simanonok, MD, at the Centers for Comprehensive Wound Care & Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy, Aurora Health Care, Hyperbaric and Wound Associates, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. This brought attendees to the bedside virtually to observe advanced wound therapies on 2 patients and provided a tour through a hyperbaric chamber the size of a standard hospital room. Drs Niezgoda and Simanonok presented both an educational and entertaining look into this facility, which has 1 of only 3 full-size hyperbaric facilities in the United States.
Another important session focused on "International Pressure Ulcer Prevention and Treatment Guidelines," which was endorsed by the National Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel (NPUAP). Presenters were Janet Cuddigan, PhD, RN, CWCN, assistant professor, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska; Carol Dealey, PhD, MA, BSc(Hons), RGN, RCNT, senior research fellow, Research Development Team, University Hospital, Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, Selly Oak, Birmingham, United Kingdom; and Diane Langemo, PhD, RN, Chester Fritz distinguished professor emeritus, University of North Dakota College of Nursing, Grand Forks, North Dakota. They discussed the newly developed International Pressure Ulcer Guidelines by the NPUAP and the European Pressure Advisory Panel. Results of a global review process show new guidance on clinical issues, such as palliative pressure ulcer care, wound bed preparation, therapeutic modalities, assessment and treatment of infection, pressure redistribution interventions, and much more.
In the session, "Legal Preventive Medicine," Caroline E. Fife, MD, and Kevin W. Yankowsky, JD, discussed how institutions and clinicians can practice "preventive legal medicine" by understanding what the policies actually say and the legal implications of the terms, reviewing the verbiage of their policies and procedures, as well as other strategies. Dr Fife is an associate professor at the Department of Anesthesiology, University of Texas Health Science Center, Memorial Hermann Center for Wound Healing, Houston, Texas; and Kevin W. Yankowsky, JD, is a partner at Fulbright & Jaworski, LLP, Houston, Texas.
On the final day of sessions, participants had the opportunity to attend 3 general sessions. First, John Nance, JD,an author from Seattle, Washington, presented "Why Hospitals Should Fly: The Ultimate Flight Plan to Patient Safety and Quality Care." Mr Nance's mission was to convince his listeners that patient safety and service quality can be dramatically improved only when traditional methods of handling a human institution are abandoned and the hospital is run to directly support and be extremely responsive to the needs and limitations of the people who actually take care of the patient.
Next, Susan Gallagher Camden, RN, CBN, WOCN, HCRM, PhD, spoke on "Bariatrics and Patient Safety: Critical Thinking in Handling Heavier Patients with Wounds." Dr Camden is a certified bariatric nurse and licensed healthcare risk manager, Celebration Institute, Inc, Conroe, Texas. She used a case-study approach to match common patient-handling tasks with accepted principles of care. Her goal was to reinforce that, regardless of one's practice setting or available resources, wound care objectives can safely be met by recognizing the accepted safe patient-handling principles and creatively integrating available resources to accomplish the task.
For the closing session of the 2009 symposium, Thomas E. Serena, MD, FACS, FACHM, FAPWCA, presented "Masquerading Malignancies and Humongous Fungus: Identifying and Treating the Uncommon." Dr Serena is founder and medical director, Penn North Centers for Advanced Wound Care; chief medical officer, Oxygen-8 Hyperbaric Medicine Centers; scientific director, New Bridge Medical Research; and professor, Gannon University, Erie, Pennsylvania. His lecture examined the diagnosis and treatment of the atypical wound, including those wounds that are not wounds at all.
In other conference activities, a poster reception, with an associated awards presentation, was held for the first time. Nearly 150 posters were on display, covering a variety of wound care topics. One prize was awarded in each of the 3 contest categories (see 2009 Award Winners). Hollister Wound Care, Libertyville, Illinois, provided financial support for the poster awards.
Another reception, open to all attendees, was hosted by the National Alliance of Wound Care (NAWC). Several members of the NAWC, which endorses Advances in Skin & Wound Care, were on hand to provide membership information to those interested in learning more about the association. Cocktails, hors d'oeuvres, and networking with colleagues highlighted the evening.
When not busy attending sessions, conference-goers visited the numerous poster displays and the expansive exhibit hall, filled with the latest products and technology in wound care. Live demonstrations of various products and devices could be found up and down every aisle of the exhibit hall. Some exhibitors used audiovisual techniques to grab attendees' attention, while others manually demonstrated how a wound care dressing or other product worked. Conference participants took advantage of the opportunity to ask questions at the exhibit booths and participate in educational and interactive experiences.
Finally, symposium organizers wish to acknowledge the following associations and companies for their generous and invaluable support of the Clinical Symposium on Advances in Skin & Wound Care: Advanced BioHealing, Inc; American College of Hyperbaric Medicine; American Professional Wound Care Association; Arobella Medical, LLC; BioMedix, Inc; Celleration, Inc; ConvaTec Incorporated; Cytomedix Incorporated; Diversified Clinical Services; Gaymar Industries, Inc; Healthpoint Ltd; Hill-Rom; Hollister Wound Care; KCI; Medline Industries; Molnlycke Health Care; NAWC; NPUAP; PuriCore; Sage Products; Smith & Nephew Wound Management; Systagenix Wound Management; and Uluru Incorporated.
Next year will be the 25th anniversary of the annual Clinical Symposium on Advances in Skin & Wound Care. This will be a program and celebration not to be missed! Mark your calendars now for the symposium's dates, September 30 to October 3, 2010, to be held at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel & Convention Center in Nashville, Tennessee. See you there!
2009 Award Winners
* The winner of the 2009 Sharon Baranoski Founder's Award was Robert A. Warriner III, MD, FACA, FCCP, FCCWS, ABPM/UHM, chief medical officer, Diversified Clinical Services, Jacksonville, Florida, and emeritus medical director, Southeast Texas Center for Wound Care and Hyperbaric Medicine, Conroe Regional Medical Center, Conroe, Texas.Funding for this award was supported by an educational grant from Healthpoint, Ltd, Fort Worth, Texas.
* Winners of the 2009 Roberta S. Abruzzese Publishing Award were Marissa J. Carter, PhD; Caroline E. Fife, MD; David Walker, CHT; and Brett Thomson, BS, for "Estimating the Applicability of Wound Care Randomized Controlled Trials to General Wound-Care Populations by Estimating the Percentage of Individuals Excluded from a Typical Wound-Care Population in Such Trials," published in the July 2009 issue of Advances in Skin & Wound Care. Dr Carter is president of Strategic Solutions, Inc, Cody, Wyoming; Dr Fife is associate professor, Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiology, University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston, Texas; and Mr Walker and Mr Thompson are chief executive officer and president and senior software engineer, respectively, at Intellicure, Inc, Woodlands, Texas. This award was supported by an educational grant from Gaymar Industries, Inc, Orchard Park, New York.
* Nancy Bergstrom, PhD, RN, FAAN, was the 2009 recipient of the Outstanding Peer Reviewer Award. Dr Bergstrom is the Theodore J. and Mary E. Trumble professor and director for aging research, Center on Aging at the University of Texas, Houston. This award was supported by an educational grant from Gaymar Industries, Inc.
A total of 149 poster abstracts were presented this year. Awards were given for the top posters in each of 3 categories: original investigation, case studies/series, and education/systems/other. The 2009 winners were as follows:
* Original Investigation: Poster 93, "Acute Care Pressure Ulcer Prevalence Report from the International Pressure Ulcer Prevalence Survey 2009," by Catherine VanGilder, MBA, BS, MT, CCRA; Stephanie Amlung, PhD, RN; Patrick Harrison, BA; and Stephanie Meyer, Hill-Rom, Batesville, Indiana.
* Case Studies/Series: Poster 137, "Biofilms: From Diagnostic Paradigm to Therapeutic Targets for the Treatment and Prevention of Chronic Wounds," by William Trinh, Nathaniel Seals, and Susan Fallahi (all PharmD candidates); Scot E. Dowd, PhD, Biofilm Research Institute; and John P. Kennedy, RPh, PhD, South University School of Pharmacy, Savannah, Georgia.
* Education/Systems/Other: Poster 43, "Nursing the Elderly Population: Demystifying the Treatment and Prevention of Skin Tears," by Kimberly LeBlanc, BScN, RN, ET, MN, and Dawn Christensen, BScN, RN, ET, MHScN, KDS Professional Consulting, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
The poster awards were supported by Hollister Wound Care.