Highlights from SAWC Spring 2025
The Symposium on Advanced Wound Care (SAWC) Spring | Wound Healing Society (WHS) meeting took place from April 30 to May 4, 2025 in Grapevine, TX, and garnered a record number of abstract submissions. This event is the leading meeting dedicated to the management, treatment, and prevention of wounds. You will find coverage of the breaking research, engaging educational sessions, and expert insights from this event in the SAWC Spring Newsroom, with contributions from WOUNDS: The Official Journal of SAWC, WoundSource, and Podiatry Today.
In case you missed this dynamic event, here’s just some of what you will find in the continuing coverage from HMP Global’s wound care brands in the SAWC Newsroom:
• Press releases on first-to-podium research, including topics like topical pravibismane,
mechanical thrombectomy, and outcomes between ray and transmetatarsal amputations.
• Expanding the Boundaries of NPWT: Clinical Evidence and Off-Label Innovation
• Getting Back to Basics: Creative, Cost-Effective Wound Care Alternatives
• Healing with Intelligence: SAWC 2025 Keynote Highlights the Transformative Power
of AI in Wound Care
Can a Health Literacy Intervention Reduce the Risk of Diabetic Foot Wound Complications?
Brian McCurdy
A poster presented at the Symposium on Advanced Wound Care (SAWC) Spring evaluated a multimedia educational resource platform, Health Literacy + Innovation for Positive Patient Outcomes (HIPPO), for its effect in reducing the risk of complications of diabetic foot ulcers.1
The study evaluated 27 patients in the HIPPO group, who watched 7 multilingual instructional videos lasting 5–7 minutes, and graphic illustrations during 3 separate clinical visits and had access to the same material at home.1 The control group, consisting of 31 patients, received only standard of care. The poster notes researchers assessed patients for at least 12 months post-initial clinic visit for amputation, surgical debridement, and recommendation for either procedure.
Researchers note the 3-month wound healing rates were 68% in the HIPPO group and 67% in the control group.1 The HIPPO intervention did not significantly reduce risk of lower extremity amputation, compared to standard education alone (7/27 vs. 6/31, respectively. Surgical debridement was performed in 3 participants in the HIPPO group and 2 control participants. Two participants in the control group declined amputation despite recommendation by surgeons. Wound, Ischemia, and Foot Infection score, highest education level received, internet access, and insurance type also did not significantly impact risk for amputation.
The poster concludes that HIPPO did not reduce the risk of lower extremity amputation in patients with DFUs.1 The author notes the result can be explained by a low sample size or an insufficient number of video views in the HIPPO group, advocating the study of more interventions within a larger sample of participants.
While wound debridement and pharmacotherapy play important roles in addressing diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs), poster author Shreya Jain, BA and MD candidate, says patient education can also help prevent complications from DFUs.2 As she notes, one key component in reducing risk is educating patients on offloading, which reduces mechanical stress on the foot, allowing for better healing.2 For example, Jain says one video participant in the HIPPO group explained the importance of reducing pressure on their wounds via offloading devices such as the offloading shoe, crutches, and knee scooters/wheelchairs.
Additionally, as evidence-based guidelines recommend tight glycemic control in preventing amputation, Jain stresses that educating patients on controlling their blood sugars is key.3 She notes one can do so by advising patients to follow recommendations made by their PCPs and highlighting what blood sugar ranges to look for, as happens through the HIPPO intervention.
References
1. Jain S. Evaluating the impact of a health literacy intervention on diabetic foot wound complications. Presented at Symposium on Advanced Wound Care (SAWC) Spring, April 30–May 3, 2025, Grapevine, TX.
2. Armstrong DG, Tan TW, Boulton AJM, Bus SA. Diabetic foot ulcers: a review. JAMA. 2023;330(1):62-75. doi:10.1001/jama.2023.10578
3. Hingorani A, LaMuraglia GM, Henke P, et al. The management of diabetic foot: A clinical practice guideline by the Society for Vascular Surgery in collaboration with the American Podiatric Medical Association and the Society for Vascular Medicine. J Vasc Surg. 2016;63(2 Suppl):3S-21S. doi:10.1016/j.jvs.2015.10.003
Updates on Research Findings of Pedal Microcirculation and Diabetes
Ashton L. Stahl
How does the microcirculatory response differ between the feet of patients with and without diabetes? A poster recently presented at the Symposium for Advanced Wound Care provides an update on this knowledge.
In a study by Windy Cole, DPM, CWSP, FFPM, RCPS (Glasg), et al entitled “A Prospective Single-Site Case-Controlled Study Examining the Differences in Microcirculatory Stress Responses Between Diabetic and Non-Diabetic Feet Using an Advanced Near-Infrared Imaging System,” the authors provide new data on the critical disparities in microcirculatory responses between feet of patients with and without diabetes. The researchers’ primary focus was to determine how diabetic neuropathy alters microvascular reactivity under stress and to evaluate the efficacy of near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) in detecting these variations.1
Dr. Cole and colleagues point out that peripheral artery disease (PAD) screening is essential during diabetic foot assessments, but traditional, noninvasive vascular studies often yield misleading results in patients with diabetes due to neuropathy-related complications. This study sought to fill that knowledge gap by assessing how patients’ feet with diabetic neuropathy respond to controlled stressors compared to those without diabetes.
Conducted as a single-site, case-controlled study with 20 subjects, the researchers used NIRS to monitor microcirculatory changes in real-time. Participants underwent a standardized, five-minute exposure to several stress conditions, including heat, cold, elevation, and dependency, applied to the right foot, all within a carefully controlled clinic environment.1
The results revealed a significant impairment in the microcirculatory stress response in diabetic neuropathic feet. The authors attribute this dysfunction to underlying endothelial damage and autonomic neuropathy, both of which can result in functional ischemia despite seemingly adequate blood flow. The researchers contend that these findings emphasize the critical need for more precise diagnostic tools in diabetic foot care.1
According to this poster, NIRS emerged as a promising modality in noninvasively assessing tissue oxygenation and revealing subtle circulatory impairments not captured by traditional tests. Overall, NIRS can potentially play a vital role in early detection, monitoring, and targeted management of microcirculatory issues in patients with diabetes, which can possibly improve outcomes and reduce the risk of serious foot complications.1
Reference
1. Cole W, Kovolyan N. A prospective single-site case-controlled study examining the differences in microcirculatory stress responses between diabetic and non-diabetic feet using an advanced near-infrared imaging system. Poster presented at Symposium for Advanced Wound Care Spring. May 1-4, 2025. Grapevine, TX.
