KCI to conduct discussion on limb surgeries and amputations

Kinetic Concepts, Inc. (KCI) will sponsor a CME-accredited panel discussion, “The Role of NPWT in the Team Approach to Limb Salvage: Case Studies,” at the 3^rd Annual Georgetown Diabetic Limb Salvage conference September 24-26. At the symposium, experts from among the largest and most renowned limb preservation centers across the United States will host a panel discussion on the interaction of specialists and surgical techniques used for limb salvage, including the utilization of KCI’s V.A.C.® Therapy. The lunch symposium will be held Thursday, September 24, 11:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. in the Grand Ballroom at the JW Marriott Pennsylvania Avenue Hotel in Washington, D.C.

“This conference serves as an opportunity to discuss an issue that is so critically important in patient care: diabetic-related amputations,” said John Steinberg, D.P.M., conference co-chairman and Co-Director of the Wound Healing Center, Georgetown University Hospital. “Approximately 600,000 diabetics develop foot ulcers each year. More than 100,000 diabetics had a foot amputation in 2007. In this symposium, we’ll be discussing successful ways to reduce the number of patients requiring amputations through the use of V.A.C.® Therapy.”

The panel discussion will be co-moderated by Christopher E. Attinger, M.D., co-chairman of the conference and Division Chief of the Wound Healing Center at Georgetown University Hospital and Bauer E. Sumpio, M.D., Ph.D., Chief of Vascular Surgery at Yale New Haven Hospital. Featured panelists include:

• Peter A. Blume, D.P.M., Director of Diabetic Foot Surgery, Yale New Haven Hospital
• Vickie R. Driver, D.P.M., M.S., Director of Clinical Research, Endovascular and Vascular and Foot Care Specialists, Boston Medical Center
• Francis X. McGuigan, M.D., Professor, Department of Orthopaedics, Georgetown University Hospital
• John S. Steinberg, D.P.M., conference co-chairman and Co-Director of the Wound Healing Center, Georgetown University Hospital

The symposium will cover the role of V.A.C.® Therapy in wound bed preparation, limb preservation for traumatic wounds and wound closure using multiple techniques including skin graft, flap and non-biologic collagen matrices. The Council on Podiatric Medical Education Participants is offering one CME credit to attendees.

All conference attendees will receive a copy of the KCI-sponsored supplement to the September 2009 issue of WOUNDS. The supplement, “A Multidisciplinary Approach to Limb Preservation: The Role of V.A.C.® Therapy,” features a review of clinical practice and evidence using V.A.C.® Therapy in limb preservation and is based on the outcome of the Limb Salvage Advisory Panel. This group of experts met to discuss its clinical experiences achieving limb preservation through a multidisciplinary, coordinated plan of care and the role of negative pressure wound therapy using reticulated open cell foam (NPWT/ROCF) as delivered by V.A.C.® Therapy. All moderators and speakers for the panel discussion were involved in the development of the supplement.

KCI will feature its V.A.C.® GranuFoam™ Bridge Dressing at booth 11 during the conference. The V.A.C.® GranuFoam™ Bridge Dressing is expected to simplify application in chronic wounds, especially Diabetic Foot Ulcers (DFUs) where it is compatible with off-loading devices. For flexibility of use, KCI’s GranuFoam™ Bridge Dressing can be used with all existing V.A.C.® Therapy systems and in combination with standard-of-care off-loading boots or devices. The possibility of concomitant off-loading and V.A.C.® Therapy facilitates the patient’s transition from hospital to home, improves mobility and allows for a quicker return to normal daily living.

“V.A.C.® Therapy products for diabetic foot ulcers fill a void for diabetes patients and provides an answer to lingering problems for providers,” said Mike Genau, KCI Global President, Wound Therapy. “The decreased amputation rates seen with V.A.C.® Therapy in randomized control trials signal an improvement that could greatly affect the lives of patients with hard to heal diabetic foot ulcers.”

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