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Caring for — And Preventing — Wounds that Won’t Heal

Small cuts and scrapes can sometimes turn serious. If you are older or have certain health problems, such as diabetes or kidney disease, even small injuries can turn into chronic wounds that take a long time to heal.

If you develop such a wound, your doctor may refer you to a wound specialist, such as the ones at Sts. Mary & Elizabeth Hospital (SMEH).

Treatment with Oxygen

The newly remodeled Wound Healing and Hyperbaric Center at SMEH supplies patients with educational tools for home and lifestyle adjustments. Leading-edge management techniques for related medical conditions also are taught, and the center’s comprehensive programs for healing problem wounds provide the following key benefits:

• Care designed to be affordable while enhancing heal rates
• Accredited physicians, nurses and allied health care providers trained in the latest multilevel specialty wound care techniques
• Individualized wound healing care plans

A multitude of diagnostic and treatment options are available, including state-of-theart hyperbaric oxygen chambers. SMEH has the largest chambers available in the state. Hyperbaric chambers provide an oxygen-rich environment for patients. While breathing pure oxygen, the patient’s blood plasma becomes saturated, carrying 15 to 20 times the normal amount of oxygen to the body’s tissues. This helps the body’s natural woundhealing mechanisms, which are oxygendependent, function more efficiently.

Other treatment options include:

• Advanced dressing and grafting procedures
• Lab tests
• X-rays
• Noninvasive vascular testing and intervention
• Pressure reduction counseling and offloading of the diabetic foot
• Nutritional counseling
• Local wound debridement and surgery, if necessary

Self-Care Tips

Between doctor’s visits, here are ways you can help speed the healing process at home:

• Avoid harsh products such as iodine, hydrogen peroxide and antiseptic solutions to clean your wound.
• Use dressings to cover the wound and keep it moist. This helps speed healing.
• Protect sores on your feet from pressure by using special shoes, crutches or other equipment your doctor may recommend.
• Help leg sores heal by propping up your legs or wearing special stockings that put pressure on them. These measures improve blood flow and control swelling.