SAN ANTONIO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Kinetic Concepts, Inc. announced today, as a Platinum Sponsor of the 4^th World Union of Wound Healing Societies (WUWHS) September 2-6 in Yokohama, Japan, that the company intends to champion access to innovative healing solutions and clinical knowledge sharing with the aim of improving patient care worldwide.

KCI is hosting more than 15 educational sessions on clinician experience with innovative healing solutions. The company is also providing complimentary access to a supplement in the International Wound Journal containing review articles by leading clinicians on their experience using modern negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) techniques to treat a variety of wound types.

“The support of companies like KCI is tremendously important to WUWHS and our attending caregivers, as it gives the medical community the opportunity to share knowledge and foster collaboration among Asian and developing countries,” said Doctor Kiyonori Harii, Congress President of WUWHS 2012. “Without this support, clinicians would not be able to attend the conference or learn about the latest innovations in NPWT and understand the potential benefit to local patient outcomes.”

Fifteen educational sessions, including the opening symposium on Innovation in NPWT Technology, will include remarks from some of the most respected professionals in the healthcare industry, including those authors indicated with an asterisk (*) below. The presentations will cover health economics and the use of NPWT in complex wounds such as diabetic foot ulcers, pressure ulcers, infected wounds and closed surgical incisions.

The articles on the evolution of NPWT are published in the supplement to the International Wound Journal. The topics and authors include:

• Facilitation of limb preservation: *David G. Armstrong, DPM, MD, PhD, and George Andros, MD
• Treatment of pressure ulcers: *Subhas Gupta, MD, CM, PhD, FRCSC, FACS, and *Shigeru Ichioka, MD, PhD
• Management of the open abdomen: Demetrios Demetriades, MD, PhD, FACS
• Instillation therapy with NPWT: Allen Gabriel, MD, FACS
• Management of clean, closed surgical incisions: *James Stannard, MD, FAAOS, Allen Gabriel, MD, FACS, and *Burkhard Lehner, Dr. med
• Skin graft management: Subhas Gupta, MD, CM, PhD, FRCSC, FACS

“KCI has always been committed to innovating to meet customer and patient needs,” said Peter Arnold, Senior Vice President, Innovation & Strategic Marketing, KCI. “Our recent introduction of the V.A.C.Ulta^™ Negative Pressure Wound Therapy System provides a new way to treat patients with severe wounds. We will also be looking beyond negative pressure therapy to continue our heritage of transforming healing by reducing complications and improving patient lives.”

About KCI

Kinetic Concepts, Inc. is a leading global medical technology company devoted to the discovery, development, manufacture and marketing of innovative, high-technology therapies and products for the wound care and therapeutic support system markets. Headquartered in San Antonio, Texas, KCI has significantly advanced the science of wound healing over the course of more than three decades. KCI success can be traced to a history deeply rooted in innovation and a passion for significantly improving patient outcomes while reducing the overall cost of care for patients around the world. Proprietary KCI negative pressure technologies have revolutionized the way in which caregivers treat a wide variety of wound types. The V.A.C.^® Therapy System has been used on more than 6.5 million wounds worldwide. Additional information about KCI and its products is available at www.KCI1.com.