With basic, intermediate, and advanced lectures, the 19th Annual Clinical Symposium on Advances in Skin & Wound Care: The Conference for Prevention and Healing offers sessions for practitioners at all levels of experience in managing wounds. The conference, to be held September 30 to October 3, 2004, in Phoenix, AZ, also provides attendees with plenty of opportunities to network and share experiences with other practitioners and to learn about the latest in skin and wound care product technology in the exhibit hall.
Basic-Level Lectures
Attendees who are relatively new to skin and wound care may benefit from these lectures:
* Compression Therapy: Mastering Products and Skills; Friday, October 1- In this 2-part mastery session, Chris Barkauskas, BS, RN, CWOCN, APN; Linda Galvan, BSN, RN, CWOCN, APN; and Andrea McIntosh, BSN, RN, CWOCN, APN, will help attendees understand the signs and symptoms of venous disease, how to measure the ankle-brachial index, and why this measurement is needed before using compression therapy. They will also discuss when to use different types of compression stockings and how to teach patients about using these devices after they leave the facility.
* Nutritional Wound Guidelines: An Update; Friday, October 1- Mary Ellen Posthauer, RD, CD, LD, will provide guidelines for determining caloric, protein, and fluid requirements to assist in wound healing according to individual patient profiles. The presentation will also cover the role of vitamins, minerals, and adjunctive therapies in wound healing.
* Wound Issues in Palliative Care; Saturday, October 2- Wounds that occur on patients receiving palliative care are both emotionally and physically challenging. Barbara Bates-Jensen, PhD, MN, CWOCN, will discuss cutaneous symptoms that may be the result of disease progression, such as tumor necrosis, fistula development, and complications associated with end-stage disease. Goals of care to improve quality of life will also be discussed.
Intermediate-Level Lectures
Attendees who already have a grasp of the basics of skin and wound care may be interested in these lectures:
* Wound Bed Preparation: Bench to Bedside; Saturday, October 2- Research into communication molecules present at the base of the wound is providing new information about wound healing and delays in healing. Adrianne P. S. Smith, MD, FACEP, and Elizabeth A. Ayello, PhD, RN, APRN,BC, CWOCN, FAAN, will help attendees understand these important subcellular substances, such as cytokines, growth factors, and matrix metalloproteinases, and translate this pertinent knowledge into practical application. (This is an intermediate to advanced session.)
* Guideline updates; Friday, October 1, and Saturday, October 2- Four separate sessions will help attendees stay current on the latest practice guidelines for surgical site infections, pressure ulcers, vascular ulcers, and diabetic foot ulcers. The faculty includes Z. Ahmed Quraishi, PhD, MHS, CIC (CDC surgical site infections); Catherine R. Ratliff, PhD, GNP, CWOCN (WOCN pressure ulcer guidelines); Mary Sieggreen, APRN,BC, CVN (vascular ulcer guidelines); and Robert Frykberg, DPM, MPH (ADA guidelines for diabetic foot ulcers).
* Critical Factors in Infection Control: Exotoxins and Endotoxins; Saturday, October 2- Liza Ovington, PhD, CWS, will review the detrimental effects of bacteria in the local wound environment from both a physical and chemical perspective. Concepts of critical colonization, biofilms, and bacterial synergies will be reviewed, along with an overview of bacterial toxins and their local effects on host tissues and wound biochemistry.
Advanced-Level Lectures
Attendees who want a more in-depth look at the research behind wound care practices may select these sessions:
* Theoretical and Practical Challenges in Wound Measurement; Friday, October 1- Wound measurement is an important part of wound assessment, and it holds the potential to provide both baseline and comparative measurements that can be useful in predicting treatment outcomes. Diane Langemo, PhD, RN, will compare and contrast methods to measure wound area and volume. Common practices of multiplying length x width or length x width x depth will be challenged mathematically and realistically.
* Pressure Ulcer Risk: A New Look at Perfusion and Oxygenation; Friday, October 1- The missing piece of pressure ulcer risk assessment seems to be evaluation of the patient's systemic and local perfusion and oxygenation. Deficits in these parameters undoubtedly play a role in pressure ulcer development. Janet Cuddigan, PhD, RN, CWCN, will discuss recent research in pediatric and adult intensive care units that provides interesting and clinically applicable insights.
* Research Forum: Physical Modalities and Wound Care: What's the Evidence? Saturday, October 2- "Physical modalities" is a broad umbrella term that encompasses a variety of treatment options. These modalities, based in physical energy, are presumed to assist wound healing by enhancing the local wound environment. Although they do not yet have strength-of-evidence ratings to support their generalized use in wound care, scientific data from randomized, prospective clinical trials are beginning to emerge. In this session, Richard "Sal"Salcido, MD, and Adrian Popescu, MD, will examine the evidence for integrating physical modalities into wound care.
For more information, visit the conference Web site, http://www.symposiumonwoundcare.com, or call 1-800-346-7844, ext. 7750.