Donate for WSACS research
Save Lives!
Stop patients dying from Abdominal Compartment Syndrome every day worldwide.
Donate now and support WSACS research!
Save Lives!
Stop patients dying from Abdominal Compartment Syndrome every day worldwide.
Donate now and support WSACS research!
Full access to World Congress video and slide presentations
Membership dues are 50 euros per year. Subscribe for a 2-year Membership and receive a discount.
Apply for WSACS endorsement by sending your study protocol by 31st of March 2016! See process details under: Research ->"How to apply".
WSACS came to realize that expanding our network is essential to achieve our goals, and we have been looking for new ways to connect to all healthcare workers around the world. For this reason we appointed WSACS Ambassadors in different parts of the world. WSACS Ambassadors are IAH and ACS experienced and will assist WSACS to improve IAH and ACS knowledge in their country and region. We expect WSACS Ambassadors to
Please feel free to contact the WSACS Ambassador in your area if you have any question for them – use the email address provided.
Despite increasing interest in intra-abdominal hypertension (IAH) and abdominal compartment syndrome (ACS) as causes of significant morbidity and mortality among the critically ill, unanswered questions cloud the understanding of the pathophysiology of these conditions:
WSACS Members receive 20% discount. The price will be updated if you login.
The UK NICE institute has updated its guidance document regarding open abdomen management.
Remarkably, the document discusses open abdominal wounds but fails to mention ‘abdominal compartment syndrome’ but only conditions often associated with it such as damage control surgery and abdominal sepsis. According to the document, several options to manage the open abdomen are available and negative pressure wound therapy is considered safe.
Welcome to the WSACS – the Abdominal Compartment Society.
Times are changing and so is our society! As the incidence of Abdominal Compartment Syndrome is dropping, and the challenges in these patients are changing, the Executive Committee decided to update the name of the “World Society of the Abdominal Compartment Syndrome” to “WSACS – the Abdominal Compartment Society”. Expanding the focus of the Society to the different challenges in critically ill patients with abdominal catastrophes will allow us to continue our mission in the next decade and improve outcome in these patients.
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Payment should be made within 14 days by money transfer only to the following account:
Account number: 734-0140973-41
Bank: KBC Bank
Bank address: Tiensesteenweg 117, B-3360 Korbeek-Lo, Belgium
BIC/Swift address: KREDBEBB
IBAN: BE88 7340 1409 7341
Account holder: “WSACS”
Address: Intensive Care Unit, ZNA campus Stuivenberg, Lange Beeldekensstraat 267, 2060 Antwerpen, Belgium
Reference: Use invoice number
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To unsubscribe from special offers and latest news please click {unsubscribe}here{/unsubscribe}. |
DAY ONE: MAY 23, 2013 THURSDAY |
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8:00 | Evidence based guidelines in IAH & ACS: an update | Andy Kirkpatrick | |
8:45 | Hemodynamic optimization in IAH | Jan DeWaele | |
10:00 | IAH & ACS: Definitions | Andy Kirkpatrick | |
10:25 | Risk Factors for IAH | - | Annika Reintam Blaser |
10:50 | IAP measurement techniques | Michael Sugrue | |
11:15 | Medical Management of IAH | Inneke De Laet | |
11:40 | Case Presentation I | Mark Kaplan, Scott D’Amours (Michael Sugrue Moderator) | |
12:20 | Case Presentation II | - | Annika Reintam, Inneke De Laet |
RESUSCITATION AND SURGERY | |||
14:00 | Resuscitation end points | Juan Duchesne | |
14:25 | Pitfalls in resuscitation | Jan DeWaele | |
14:50 | Surgical decompression for IAH | Oswaldo Borreaz | |
15:15 | Damage Control Laparotomy, Temporary fascial closure | Carlos Ordnez | |
16:10 | Newer concepts in open abdomen management, VAC therapy | Mark Kaplan | |
16:35 | Minimally invasive decompressive laparotomy | Ari Leppaniemi | |
17:00 17:40 | Case Presentation III Part 1 Case Presentation III Part 2 |
Juan Duchsene, Ari Leppaniemi, (Manu Malbrain, moderator) | |
DAY TWO: May 24, 2013 FRIDAY |
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8:00 | Evidence of Massive Transfusion in Trauma. When? What? How? Are there other alternatives? | Rao Ivatury | |
10:00 | IAH & ACS in children | Janeth Ejike | |
10:30 | IAH & ACS in Medical ICU | Jan De Waele | |
11:00 | IAH & ACS in vascular surgery | Martin Bjorck | |
11:30 | IAH & ACS in pregnancy | Ed Kimball | |
12:00 | Presidential address | Rao Ivatury | |
DAY THREE: MAY 25, 2013 SATURDAY |
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9:00 | Acute pancreatitis: an update | Inneke De Laet | |
9:15 | Source control in sepsis | Jan DeWaele | |
9:30 | Open abdomen in the septic abdomen | Pablo Sibaja | |
9:45 | Early Enteral Nutrition | - | Annika Reintam Blaser |
10:00 | Delayed fluid removal | Manu Malbrain | |
10:35 | Case Presentation IV | Janeth Ejike, Martin Bjorck (Rao Ivatury, Moderator) | |
11:15 | Case Presentation V | Michael Sugrue, Pablo Sibaja (Ari Leppeniemi, moderator) | |
16:30 | Tertiary Peritonitis | - | Ari Leppeniemi |
17:00 | Acute gastrointestinal injury | Annika Reintam Blaser | |
17:30 | Necrotizing ICU infections | Ed Kimball |
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Click on the "Join WSACS" link above to begin the membership application. For all other questions regarding WSACS membership, please contact the Membership Committee.
Mail to the WSACS may be addressed to:
Rao R. Ivatury MD, Division Chair
Division of Trauma, Critical Care and Emergency General Surgery
P.O. Box 980454
Richmond, VA 23298-0454
USA
For questions regarding the WSACS and its mission, please contact the WSACS Executive Committee.
The WSACS greatly appreciates the sponsorship of our partners in the healthcare industry. For information on corporate support of WSACS's educational programs and scientific congresses, please contact our Preferred Partners Program.
This website is intended to facilitate the goals and mission of the WSACS. We appreciate any suggestions you might have on ways by which we can make this website serve you better. Please feel free to contact the WSACS webmaster with any questions or recommendations.
The WSACS has recently published an updated consens us statements detailing the current state-of-the-art diagnosis and management of IAH / ACS. The following Powerpoint slideset summarizes the definitions and recommendations of these consensus statements. It may be viewed online or downloaded to be used in educating the physicians a nd nurses in your hospital about IAH and ACS.
The World Society of the Abdominal Compartment Syndrome (WSACS) was founded in 2004 by a group of international physicians and surgeons who recognized the need for a cohesive approach to promoting research, fostering education, and improving the survival of patients with intra-abdominal hypertension (IAH) and/or abdominal compartment syndrome (ACS). While it remains a fledging society, the WSACS has arguably accomplished a great deal in its first three years including the development of evidence-based medicine consensus definitions and recommendations statements, publication of the first textbook on ACS as well as a monograph of cutting-edge research findings, and development of a worldwide network of clinicians and research scientists.
WSACS executive committe meeting (Jan De Waele, Andy Kirkpatrick, Rao Ivatury, Manu Malbrain, Martin Bjorck, Ari Leppaniemi, Michael Sugrue, Annika Reintam and Scott d'Amours)
The patient care algorithms and guidelines promoted by the WSACS have been demonstrated to significantly improve patient survival from IAH and ACS, disease processes that were widely reported to have mortality rates of up to 100% only a decade ago.
The WSACS encourages all healthcare providers with an interest in IAH/ACS to become WSACS members and further the Society's mission to foster education and improve patient survival. This website contains a variety of educational materials as well as discussion forums and email listservers to aid in this mission. Please feel free to contact us with any questions or suggestions that you might have.
Bruno Pereira | Campinas, Brazil | President and Chairman |
Andy Kirkpatrick | Calgary, Canda | Past President |
Jan De Waele | Ghent, Belgium | Past President |
Zsolt Bodnar | Letterkenny, Ireland | Secretary |
Manu Malbrain | Brussels, Belgium | Treasurer |
Bart de Keulenaer | Fremantle, Australia | |
Scott D'Amours | Sidney, Australia | Scientific Program Chair |
Stefan Acosta | Sweden | |
Janeth Chiaka Ejike | California, USA | |
Annika Reintam Blaser | Estonia | CTWG Chair |
Michael Sugrue | Letterkenny, Ireland | Past President |
Intra-abdominal hypertension (IAH) and abdominal compartment syndrome (ACS) are complex diseases that are common among patients who are critically ill or injured. If either you or someone you love has been diagnosed with either IAH or ACS, this is no doubt a very stressful time for you and your family. You likely have many questions. We encourage you to speak with your physicians and nurses regarding your current illness as they are best equipped to answer questions related to your specific situation. We hope that the following will help to augment the information you receive from your healthcare providers.
Most patients with IAH and/or ACS will be cared for in an intensive care unit (ICU) where doctors and nurses constantly watch ("monitor") for signs of illness and treat ("resuscitate") patients to keep their heart, lungs, kidneys, liver, and intestines functioning as normally as possible. Many patients will require a breathing machine ("mechanical ventilator") to help them breath and receive enough oxygen. They will receive medications for pain and to keep them calm. They will also receive medications such as antibiotics and blood pressure medications to help them heal.
You should always follow the instructions and advice of your surgeon and other physicians. The following recommendations apply to most patients with an open abdomen.
The World Society of the Abdominal Compartment Syndrome (WSACS) was founded in 2004 to promote research, foster education, and improve the survival of patients with intra-abdominal hypertension (IAH) and/or abdominal compartment syndrome (ACS). The WSACS is a non-profit organization whose educational efforts are dependent upon philantrophic educational grants from our industry partners as well as donations from patients, families, and others. The WSACS greatly appreciates the generous financial assistance of its partners without whose help the mission of the WSACS could not occur.
If you or your family has been impacted by IAH/ACS and would like to partner with the WSACS to improve the diagnosis and management of IAH/ACS, please contact the WSACS Executive Committee. All donations to the WSACS are tax-deductible to the full extent allowable by law. Complete documentation of your donation to the WSACS will be provided for such purposes. Donations may also be made in the name of a family member or that of physicians and nurses whom you would like to see recognized for their dedication to patient care.
Please contact the WSACS Executive Committee for further information regarding philanthropic donations to the Society.