Our professional staff is trained to provide a specialized, comprehensive course of therapy to assist in healing your problem wound. During your course of treatment, our Center will work with your regular physician to assure complete continuity of all your medical services.

 

No referral form is necessary to refer to the Wound and Hyperbaric Center. Merely call 946-3180.

 

Dealing With Problem Wounds

At any given time almost six million Americans suffer from chronic, non-healing wounds. There are many different types of wounds. Some are associated with complications from diabetes and other related vascular disorders. Other types include pressure sores and traumatic wounds. It can be very frustrating and time consuming to heal these wounds. At the Center we utilize the most up-to-date approaches to wound healing and remain current in new scientific advances in wound care. Our goal is to heal your wound, prevent limb amputation, promote early recovery and prevent increased hospitalization, prolonged and/or permanent disability. The outpatient Wound and Hyperbaric Center is an extension of the overall wound care program at CHRISTUS St. Vincent Regional Medical Center. Inpatient wound care readily transfers when necessary to the outpatient component through the coordination of the CHRISTUS St. Vincent Regional Medical Center inpatient wound care nurse, CHRISTUS St. Vincent Regional Medical Center hospitalists, case managers as well as the patients primary care physicians.

 

A Team Of Wound Care Specialists

The CHRISTUS St. Vincent Wound and Hyperbaric Center is designed to complement your physician's services and is committed to the treatment of difficult, non-healing wounds. The Center is made up of a team of professionals that includes:

 

• Physicians focused specifically on wound management
• Nursing staff trained in the care of chronic wounds
• Technicians who perform non-invasive studies and various therapies
• Experienced staff to assist with appointments, medical records and health insurance processing

 

Your Wound Treatment Program

You will undergo a thorough diagnostic examination to identify the type of wound you have and the underlying problems causing the wound. After this, a program specifically tailored to your needs will be initiated based on the most effective treatment options. Your treatment may include:

 

• Infectious disease management
• Nutritional management
• Physical therapy
• Diabetic education
• Vascular evaluation
• Nuclear medicine
• Laboratory evaluation
• Radiology
• Hyperbaric oxygen therapy
• Debridement

 

Once a treatment plan has been initiated, you will visit the Center on a regular basis for wound care. You will be instructed on how to administer your own wound care at home between visits, as well as how to protect your wound from further complications. You are the most important part of your healing process. Keeping appointments and following directions clearly are critical to attaining a positive healing outcome.

 

Though we want to know who your physicians are, a physician referral is not necessary.

 

Please contact a member of our staff with any other questions you may have regarding your treatment.

 

Address a Growing Problem Using Evidence-Based Medicine

Statistics show a tremendous need for wound care treatment. Each year, approximately 6 million Americans will suffer from chronic wounds caused by diabetes, circulatory problems and many other conditions - with 1.1-1.8 million new cases each year. Compelling statistics include:

 

• 18.2 million Americans (6.3% of the population have diabetes)
• 18.3% of people over 60 have diabetes
• 15% of all diabetics will develop chronic wounds
• Patients with diabetes have a 15-fold increase in the risk of amputation and approximately 82,000 diabetics will undergo amputation each year.

 

But there is hope. Studies have shown that wound care treatment facilities have reduced amputation rates and the length of hospital stays.

 

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) is an important adjunct in the treatment of non-healing wounds. An established technology, Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy has been shown to help in treating:

 

• Select problem wounds
• Radiation tissue damage
• Crush injuries
• Compromised skin grafts, flaps and replants
• Acute traumatic ischemia
• Diabetic ulcer of the lower extremity
• Necrotizing soft tissue infections
• Refractory osteomyelitis

 

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy involves the systemic delivery of oxygen to patients placed in a chamber at two to three times atmospheric pressure while breathing 100 percent oxygen for periods of time between 90 to 120 minutes.

 

The effects of increased oxygen tension include:

 

• Vasoconstriction and the reduction of edema in the area of trauma for crush injuries.
• Increase in oxygen diffusion distance from functioning capillaries in the hypoperfused wounds.
• Stimulation of neovascularization in ischemic tissues.
• Support of leukocytic oxidative bacteria kills as an adjunct to antibiotics and wound care.