ARLINGTON, VA — More than 1,500 healthcare technology professionals will gather in San Jose, CA, May 31–June 2, to get their first look at the newest medical devices on the market and to discuss the latest developments in medical technology during the 2008 Conference & Expo of the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI).

The three-day conference, to be held at San Jose’s McEnery Convention Center, will feature:

• A keynote address from Paul Root Wolpe, PhD, who will present “An Amazing Look at Our Future.” The presentation will include a visual journey through the latest scientific developments in medicine and biotechnology, and an explanation of how those advances will revolutionize human life in the coming decades. Wolpe, an expert on the impact of biotechnology on human health and well being, served as the first chief of bioethics for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
• A presentation from Marilyn Chow, RN, vice president of patient care services with Kaiser Permanente and program director for the Robert Wood Johnson Executive Nurse Fellows Program. Chow will share outcomes of a research study done by Kaiser Permanente and Ascension Health about how medical surgical nurses spend their time.
• A Q&A session with George Mills, senior engineer in The Joint Commission’s standards interpretation group. In addition to fielding questions from conference participants, Mills will discuss The Joint Commission’s ongoing Standards Improvement Initiative, which has already resulted in updated standards for 2009.
• More than 50 educational sessions and workshops. Highlights include:

• Preventing Tubing and Catheter Misconnections. Tubing and catheter misconnections at the patient bedside have resulted in injuries and even death. Regulatory agencies and the medical community are focusing on the development of effective strategies to prevent these adverse events. This session will provide a case study from FDA’s Medical Product Safety Network (MedSun) Program that outlines risk-assessment and educational tools to decrease misconnections.
• Infection Control: Improving the Performance and Safety of Medical Devices.  Through case studies, presenters will discuss real infection control problems that have occurred in the patient care environment, corrective actions taken to prevent those problems from recurring, and ways to enhance the relationship between technology management and sterilization personnel. Speakers from hospitals in Japan and the U.S. will review procedures that they employ.
• Going Green: Improving a Hospital's Efficiency and Environmental Impact. The urgency to “go green” is real, and governments, consumers, and industries around the world are increasing their attention to it exponentially. Healthcare facilities are part of the movement to maintain a healthy environment and are faced with the question of what they can do to help reduce energy consumption, pollution, and waste. This session will provide valuable information on how a facility can easily improve the environmental impact of its buildings and operations.

Additionally, more than 100 exhibitors will offer a first-hand look at new technologies. Reporters interested in attending the conference should register by contacting Patrick Bernat at 703-525-4890 at ext. 242 or by e-mailing pbernat@aami.org by Wednesday, May 28. For more information about the conference, visit www.aami.org/ac/.