SAWC Spotlight: You Never Know Who You`ll Meet at the SAWC

  You’d think after 15 years as Editor of Ostomy Wound Management, I would be accustomed to rubbing elbows with the movers and shakers of the wound care arena. But over the years, I have become somewhat of a wound care groupie — albeit, often to solicit manuscripts for the journal from esteemed presenters — fawning like a schoolgirl when I encounter the “names” in wound care. I also enjoy interacting with persons new to SAWC presentations, knowing they, too, are making their mark in this growing health care niche.

  I encourage you to read the biographies provided on SAWC presenters. These moderators and speakers are well-published (including in OWM) authorities in their respective fields. Many lead wound care organizations. Many serve on the OWM Editorial Board. Here is sampling of SAWC sessions presented by our board members.

   Speakers include Laurie Rappl, PT, DPT, CWS, a T-12 paraplegic who presents the patient perspective (with the knowledge of a provider) of ways to attend to what a person with a wound needs.

  Microbial-Host Interactions. Moderated by Robert Galiano, MD, this session addresses the role various micro-organisms and host cells play in wound repair, including the impact of the microbiome and biofilms on wound healing.

  Diagnostics and Biometrics: The Future is Now. David Armstrong, DPM, MD, PhD serves as moderator as well as speaker to discuss key biomarkers such as wound area, depth, volume, and color to quantify healing.

  AAWC Research Poster Grand Rounds. Moderator/Speaker Holly Korzendorfer, PT, PhD, CWS, FACCWS provides insights into creating and presenting an effective poster. The session includes an escorted tour of several posters selected for critique.

  A Debate: Devices and Topical Treatment Therapies: Are They Under- or Over-utilized, Misunderstood, or is There Just No Evidence? With the US Food and Drug Administration’s requirement for wound device evidence of efficacy now deleted, how can dedicated professionals inform their device decisions? Laura Bolton, PhD helps attendees find answers.

  Pain Assessment and Management: Arming Your Toolkit. Lia van Rijswijk, MSN, RN, CWCN (and Clinical Editor of OWM) helps guide exploration of the dimensions and mechanisms of wound-related pain and the use of wound pain models to facilitate pain assessment and management strategies.

  Stepping Up the Management of Diabetic Foot Ulcers: Managing the Patient and the Wound. Foot ulcers in patients with diabetes are a serious concern. Robert Snyder, DPM, MSC, CWS reviews a patient-centered approach to treatment.

  High Tech Nutrition: Making the Connection Between Lean Body Mass and Wound Healing. Nancy Collins, PhD, RD, LD/N, FAPWCA will explain the term body composition and describe the different components involved in determining this factor, particularly with regard to wound healing. The session includes a demonstration of a scale that measures more than weight. Learn how to practice new-trition!

  The Robert Warriner Memorial Session: Hyperbaric Oxygen for the At-risk Limb; and Hyperbaric Oxygen — A Therapy Under Pressure —Optimizing a Program for Success. In the first session, Moderator Caroline Fife, MD, CWS, FUHM introduces the potential benefit and responsible use of hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) in the setting of limb ischemia. The second presentation addresses the looming threats regarding HBOT in terms of documentation, pre-authorization, staff credentialing, facility accreditation, and chamber supervision.

  Complexities of Managing Wounds in the Obese Patient. Karen Kennedy-Evans, RN, FNP, APRN-BC and Susan Gallagher, PhD, MA, MSN, RN tackle the obesity epidemic, discussing the impact of the disease on body function, including skin issues.

  The Unavoidable Wound: Are Pressure Ulcers Truly a Refection of Quality? Diane Krasner, PhD, RN, CWCN, CWS, MAPCWA, FAAN challenges clinician concepts on the legal and policy ramifications of dying with wounds.