First International Surgical Wound Forum debates surgical wound management practices to improve the future of wound care
On March 18 and 19, the first International Surgical Wound Forum (ISWF) took place in Amsterdam. The ISWF is a scientific platform designed to share and debate state-of-the-art information and opinions on the management of surgical wounds. More than 170 surgeons from diverse surgical backgrounds exchanged knowledge on the management of complex surgical wounds, all in the aim of improving the future of wound care.
Chaired by Dr. James Patrick Stannard, Professor of Surgery and Chairman, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of Missouri, and sponsored by leading global medical technology company, Kinetic Concepts, Inc. (KCI), the goal of the ISWF is to bring together leading international surgeons to discuss:
• New approaches to the management of surgical wounds and enhancing patient care and clinical practices
• Improving outcomes through early awareness in the treatment of patients with specific wound healing complications
• The latest evidence as it relates to wound healing decisions and interventions
• New alternatives and therapies for surgical wound management, and
• How to better manage costs associated with the management of complicated surgical wounds
The open forum was structured around three main pervasive wound themes: Open Surgical Wounds, Infected Surgical Wounds and Closed Incisional Surgical Wounds.
“This first Surgical Wound Forum is a unique opportunity to gather multiple opinions on the management and treatment of a variety of surgical wounds,” said Dr. Stannard. “Outcomes from this event will inspire surgeons from several medical disciplines to look at new ways to approach wound care and to improve healing through innovative new technologies and techniques.”
TLV Kumar, President Active Healing Solutions™ KCI EMEA said, “Events like the ISWF are important for companies like KCI as they bring new insight and practical applications which drive our ability to better meet the needs of our patients and medical professionals in the field.”
Surgeons from a wide variety of specialities including: Thoracic, General, Cardiac, Colorectal, Plastic, Vascular, Orthopaedic, Abdominal, Gastroenterology, Visceral, Trauma, Emergency and Oncology participated in the ISWF to discuss and debate.
Wound management topics raised by the attending surgeons1 during the two-day forum included:
• The rationale for, and benefit of, Open Abdomen (OA) treatment provided the device used for temporary abdominal closure not only manages the local defect but also actively manages the inflammatory contents of the exudate. A classification system for the OA that illustrates the various structural situations that can be encountered was presented.
• The option to use vacuum assisted closure in combination with instillation offers new possibilities for the healing of infected wounds. For instillation purposes, various solutions were effectively used such as polyhexidine. A new patented acetic acid solution was presented to combat bacteria encapsulated in biofilm with initial promising results.
• An approach using external fixation and acute shortening to initially close the wound of open fractures after radical debridement in an attempt to reduce infections was presented. After closure gradual lengthening is undertaken.
• Initial results of a new therapy in which Topical Negative Pressure is applied on closed incisions. Examples and early experiences from Plastic and Orthopedic surgeons indicated beneficial effects such as better and longer lasting increased perfusion and lower complication rates after abdominoplasties. Also, shorter drainage duration and hospital length of stay when applied on closed incisions over high energy fractures was experienced.
• Beneficial effects of vacuum assisted closure in terms of cost effectiveness were shown for treating deep sternal wound infections and in terms of reduction of bacterial load for traumatic soft tissue defects.
1 Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed are those of the attending surgeons, not necessarily those of KCI.
Go to the ISWF page about this event and open and/or download the video podcasts.
ISWF was granted 8 CME credits (ECMEC) by the European Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (EACCME).
