Eligibility
Could You be a Candidate for Advanced Wound Care?
If you have a difficult-to-heal wound, you may require help from our Wound Care Center. An estimated three to five million Americans suffer from non-healing wounds. A doctor should always be alerted if you have a wound or sore that doesn't heal.
Examples include:
- Diabetic foot ulcers
- Venous stasis ulcers
- Arterial ulcers
- Wounds caused by circulatory problems
- Pressure sores
- Burns
- Non-healing surgical wounds
A wound that doesn't heal is a particular risk for patients with diabetes, who may have developed nerve damage and circulatory problems in their feet and legs. As a result, injuries to these areas may heal very slowly or not at all. In addition, diabetics may not even be aware of the fact that they've developed a cut or sore on their feet or legs. This can lead to infection and damage to tissue and bones if the infection spreads. In some cases, amputation may be necessary. For cuts or wounds that don't heal, doctors have special bandaging techniques and ointments that can help a wound heal faster and reduce the risk of permanent damage. Our Wound Care Center can provide a multi-disciplinary, specialized approach, with a team of internists, vascular surgeons, podiatrists, reconstructive surgeons, nurses and other specialists.
Treatments
- Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy
- Special dressings (may contain healing medications or fibers)
- Negative Pressure Therapy (Wound Vac)
- Nutritional counseling
- Infection control
- Synthetic skin grafts (promote skin growth during healing)
- Outer wraps (provide extra compression to promote healing)
- Debridement (cleaning out unhealthy tissue)
The important thing is to monitor any cuts carefully and seek medical help if they don't seem to heal as they should. Any wound that has not started to heal in two weeks, or hasn't completely healed in six weeks, may benefit from specialized wound care. Ask your regular physician if a referral to the Wound Care Center might be the right option for you.