Nearly 7 million Americans have non-healing wounds because of diabetes, pressure ulcers, circulatory problems or other injuries. Unlike normal wounds that your body can heal, chronic or traumatic open wounds show no significant signs of healing over a period of several weeks.
If you have a wound that isn't healing, help is available. The Wound Care Centers at St. Elizabeth Healthcare offer a comprehensive, specialized program to help patients who suffer with non-healing wounds.
At our wound care centers, you will be carefully evaluated and treated by a team of experts that includes certified wound care nurses and physicians specializing in diabetic or neuropathic foot ulcers, pressure ulcers (bedsores), venous stasis ulcers and vascular ulcers.
Individualized treatment plans
At our wound care centers, each patient is evaluated to find any medical conditions that might block the natural healing process. Our wound care physicians then coordinate your treatment with your primary care physician, understanding that wounds often require complex and long-term treatment. By having specialists help care for your wound, your physician is able to spend more time on other aspects of your care. Results and updates are given directly to your physician, home health agency, nursing home or extended care facility.
In addition to treatment for your non-healing wound, the Wound Care Center's staff provides recommendations on how to care for wounds at home. Our experts also provide information on nutrition, physical therapy aids, and diabetes management to help aid the healing process and prevent future wounds.
Our Wound Care Centers utilize the newest clinical tools in wound healing along with traditional clinical practices including:
- Wound dressings
- Debridement
- Compression therapy
- Hyperbaric oxygen therapy
- Prescriptive growth factors
- Bio-engineered skin grafting
- Edema management
- Non-invasive vascular assessment
Patient care at our Wound Care Centers focuses on a whole body approach to wound care including:
- Nutritional assessment and counseling
- Diabetic education
- Patient and caregiver counseling
- Pain management
- Special needs for pressure relief including beds, seat cushions and footwear
Insurance coverage
Many health plans cover Wound Care Center treatment. Your coverage depends on your specific plan. Be sure to bring your insurance cards with you when you visit either of our Wound Care Centers.
Common types of chronic wounds
When one of these types of non-healing wounds appears, notify your doctor or call one of our Wound Care Centers to talk to a specialist. If you see signs of infection, increased temperature, odor, increased drainage, increased pain, coolness or heat at the site of the wound, seek medical attention immediately.
Diabetic or neuropathic foot ulcers
Some of the most common types of non-healing wounds are diabetic or neuropathic foot ulcers. When you lose feeling in your feet, you can easily injure them. It is very common for people who have lost feeling in their feet and legs to burn them or harm them in some other way and not know it.
Pressure ulcers (bedsores)
Pressure ulcers, also known as bedsores, develop when skin is squeezed between a bone and an external surface, such as a bed or wheelchair. They are most likely to develop at the tailbone, heels, elbows, shoulder blades, knees, ankles, the back of the head, or the spine. Pressure ulcers are common in people who have difficulty walking and for those who are bedridden or wheelchair-bound.
Venous stasis ulcers
Venous stasis ulcers occur in the lower legs between the ankles and the knees, and are caused by poor circulation. They develop when blood pools in the legs because of damaged valves in the veins. The legs may swell, feel hardened or become discolored.
Vascular ulcers
Vascular ulcers occur because blood supply to the feet is decreased. These wounds are usually very painful and require immediate treatment to determine if it is possible to save the limb.
Hyperbaric oxygen treatment: Simple and effective
Hyperbaric oxygen treatment is a treatment in which the patient breathes 100% oxygen inside a pressurized chamber. The treatment quickly delivers high concentrations of oxygen to the bloodstream, assists in the healing process of wounds and is effective in fighting certain types of infections. It also stimulates the growth of new blood vessels and improves circulation. A treatment profile is administered daily and the number of treatments you receive will depend on your diagnosis.
The team at our Wound Care Centers include:
- Physicians specialty-trained in wound management and hyperbaric medicine
- Certified or specialty-trained wound care nurses
- Highly trained clinical hyperbaric managers and nurses
- Health care educators
- Administrative staff