Open Abdomen Planning Webinar

The webinar Planning for an Open Abdomen: Strategies and Best Practices to Increase Efficiency and Decrease Readmissions will be held live on July 1st and 8th.

This activity is designed for physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, nurses, physical therapists, and other allied healthcare professionals involved in the surgical closure, or prevention and management of wounds.

Learning objectives are to:

  • Investigate gaps in current interventions for managing open abdominal wounds
  • Illustrate via cases, techniques tips and pearls on how to manage open abdomen
  • Examine the role of closed incision negative pressure wound therapy in reducing the number of follow up appointments and hospital readmissions

Click here to register for Wednesday, July 1, 2020 12:00pm to 1:00pm ET or Wednesday, July 8, 2020 1:00pm to 2:00pm ET.

Reimagine Solutions for Fistula Management at WOCNext

Attend Reimagine Solutions for Fistula Management: The Patient, The Fistula, The Skin! during WOCNext on June 6th at 2:45 PM EDT.

Fistulas can be complex and challenging for WOC Nurses. This session will provide solutions for fistula management with primary focus on effluent containment and perifistular skin protection. Come prepared to virtually learn best practices utilizing case-based scenarios during this innovative presentation by an expert clinician and WOC nurse.

Team Management of Enteroatmospheric Fistulas at Virtual SAWC Spring

The SAWC Spring 2020 educational program will now be delivered as a virtual experience.  Engage from your home to gain practical applications and insight on enteric fistula management.

Mary Anne Obst and Kristen Lindvall from the Complex Abdominal Reconstruction (CARS) team at Regions Hospital will present Team Management of Enteroatmospheric Fistulas on July 26th.  They will share the CARS methodology for fistula patient care during the 6 to 18 month wait time before definitive surgical treatment.  They will cover wound care, nutritional support, psychosocial counsel, medical management, and surgical planning.

AAST Webinar on Entero-cutaneous and Entero-atmospheric Fistulas

The webinar Entero-cutaneous and entero-atmospheric fistulas: Have we had a paradigm shift in management? is now available online.

Dr. Richard Miller, Chief, Division of Trauma and Surgical Critical Care at Vanderbilt Medical Center presents a comprehensive overview of enteric fistula management and makes a strong case for "feeding the gut".

The webinar is part of the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma Virtual Grand Rounds educational program.

Click here to watch.

2020 Surgical Infection Olympics in Madrid

The 2020 Surgical Infection Olympics will be hosted by Madrid, Spain during the European Congress on Surgical Infections in September.

The Olympics and subsequent Surgical Infection Society Europe (SIS-E) conference will cover not only the recent aspects of known issues, but also new frontiers of surgical infections. Surgical researchers, surgical residents, nurses, infection control practitioners and surgeons are encouraged to participate in or contribute to the congress.

Conference themes include:

  • Management & closure of the open abdomen
  • Interactive cases on surgical infections
  • Global surgery symposium: Damage Control Surgery
  • Instillation therapy with negative pressure in the open abdomen
  • Reducing sepsis-related mortality

The 2020 SIS-E Olympics and conference will be September 2-4 at the Tryp Madrid Atocha Hotel in Madrid, Spain.

Visit the Surgical Infection Society Europe website for more information.

Hernia Surgery Summit in March

Columbia Comprehensive Hernia Center's 11th Annual Hernia Surgery Summit is focused on reconstruction of abdominal wall defects, which remains one of the most challenging dilemmas facing surgeons. Even though ventral hernia repair remains one of the most common procedures performed, there is little consensus as to the best surgical technique, prosthetic material of choice, or strategies to repair complex defects.

Learning objectives include:

  • Minimally Invasive Hernia Repairs
  • Robotic Hernia Repairs
  • Complex open abdominal wall reconstruction techniques
    • Open (traditional) component separation
    • Laparoscopic and periumbilical sparing component separation
    • Posterior component separation and transversus abdominis release (TAR)
    • Laparoscopic and Robotic Totally Extraperitoneal Retromuscular Repairs
  • Para-stomal and other difficult hernia repairs
  • Reconstructions in setting infection, contamination, enterocutaneous fistulas, loss of abdominal domain
  • Umbilical and inguinal hernia repairs
  • Comprehensive review of groin repairs and groin pain management
  • Plastic surgery considerations for difficult soft tissue scenarios

The 2020 conference will be March 5-7 at the The Cliff Lodge in Snowbird, Utah.  Visit the Hernia Surgery Summit website to see the full conference agenda.

Fistula Management Team at SAWC Spring 2020

It takes a village to care for fistula patients.

Experience a multidisciplinary team approach to fistula management at SAWC Spring.

Mary Anne Obst and Kristen Lindvall from the Complex Abdominal Reconstruction (CARS) team at Regions Hospital will present Team Management of Enteroatmospheric Fistulas.  They will share the CARS methodology for fistula patient care during the 6 to 18 month wait time before definitive surgical treatment.  They will cover wound care, nutritional support, psychosocial counsel, medical management, and surgical planning.

Virtual Grand Round – Entero-cutaneous and entero-atmospheric fistulas: Have we had a paradigm shift in management?

The American Association for the Surgery of Trauma is hosting the virtual grand round: Entero-cutaneous and entero-atmospheric fistulas: Have we had a paradigm shift in management?  The live broadcast is November 20, 2019 at 5:00 PM Eastern.

Dr. Richard Miller, Chief, Division of Trauma and Surgical Critical Care at Vanderbilt Medical Center will be presenting.

Click here for more information.

SAWC Fall 2019: Ask a Surgeon about Fistula and Ostomy Management

Ever wish you could ask a surgeon a question about a fistula or ostomy?  Here is your chance! For example, why is this stoma flat? Can you help with this sidewall fistula? Why do we need to wait so long to repair a fistula?

Send your questions or cases for Dr. David Dries’ perspective on solutions.  Selected questions and cases will be reviewed during the “Ask a Surgeon” portion of Session 13 - Fistula and Ostomy Management for the Wound Provider at the SAWC Fall conference on October 12th.

Help Fistula Patients Reduce Their Surgery Risk with the CeDAR App

Download the free CeDAR app to facilitate conversations with patients about their fistula repair surgery risk profile.  The app is available in the App Store or Google Play.

Users simply answer eight questions about themselves, including height and weight. A percentage chance of developing specific postoperative complications requiring treatment is calculated, along with the corresponding cost of this treatment. These results can then be used to discuss a patient’s risk for wound problems after surgery and what changes they can make to improve the odds for a good result.

Wound problems after surgery are the major reason for increased cost of surgery, including the added cost of other procedures, hospital stays and clinic visits. Because of their wounds, these patients often are not able to work and lose time and money because of specialty wound care, travel, clinic visits and/or hospital stays. The app predicts the risks and financial impact of wound-related problems using a mathematical equation derived from real patient data. Helping patients understand their risks can facilitate a deeper conversation about behavioral changes that will reduce the risk of wound problems.