The following Exhibitors Preview highlights some of the companies, products, and services that will be presented during the upcoming Symposium on Advanced Wound Care and Wound Healing Society Meeting. Each exhibit represents a valuable resource for learning and provides an enjoyable way to meet professionals who bring these products and services to you. Be sure to take this opportunity to see what they have in store for you at the San Diego Convention Center.

This year, more than 350 abstracts were accepted for presentation at the SAWC/WHS in San Diego. Of those, 24 were accepted for oral presentation. The abstracts featured here will be presented during sessions 38, 55, 59, 63, and 68. The accepted poster presentations may be viewed throughout the entire meeting and during the scheduled poster sessions, which will be held Friday, April 25, 7:00 am – 8:45 am, and Saturday, April 26, 7:00 am – 8:45 am. The first ever Poster Gala and Awards will be held from 7:00 pm – 10:00 pm on Friday April 25. To access the entire SAWC/WHS brochure, including session titles, faculty, and abstracts, visit http://www.sawc.net.

The management of chronic wounds poses a challenge to internists and surgeons alike. Chronic wounds are trapped in a nonadvancing phase of healing and are unable to progress through the sequential stages of tissue repair. The primary roles of surgery in managing these wounds are debridement and wound closure. Surgical debridement releases the chronic wound from its arrested state by removing nonviable tissue, bacteria, and other inhibitory factors, effectively converting it into an acute wound that can undergo healing more effectively. Debridement can be accomplished with a number of techniques, and recent innovations in the wound care industry have added invaluable tools to the wound healing armamentarium. While surgical debridement and closure provide definitive treatment, identifying and treating the underlying cause of a chronic wound is critical to promoting timely healing and preventing wound recurrence.

Charcot arthropathy can have a significant impact on the patient regarding limb salvage and overall health. With longer survival rates of patients with diabetes the incidence of Charcot arthropathy has been noted to be increasing in occurrence within the last several years. The treatment of the Charcot foot, both nonoperatively and operatively, has been a topic of debate as the number of complex wounds and lower extremity deformities has been increasing. In the past, amputation was arguably the most common surgical treatment. However, with the advent of a better understanding of the disease process and the development of new fixation and surgical techniques, more potential surgical treatment options besides amputation now exist. For any healthcare provider involved in the care of the diabetic foot, it is important to know when to seek referral or consultation for possible surgical correction, and what options are available in the limb salvage treatment arena.

Wounds of the foot are the most common reason for diabetes-related hospital admissions. In many of these cases, surgical intervention is the best option. This article will review the risk factors for foot wounds in people with diabetes, discuss preventative and surgical strategies, and present surgical management techniques to treat ulceration and chronic infection in these wounds.