What conditions can complicate the healing process and how does specialized wound care help?

Diabetes, venous disease, and arterial problems such as peripheral arterial disease (PAD) are a few conditions that can complicate the healing process. At the Wound Care Center, our first step is to ensure the patient has proper circulation. This may require surgery to repair arteries and return sufficient blood flow to the wound. Procedures to deal with damaged veins may also be required. Next, we have special dressings that are typically only available in the wound center; some fight infection and others stimulate healing. We also use bio-engineered wound care products often thought of as human skin substitutes. Actual human skin cells present in the product help the patient’s tissue to grow and heal. To control drainage we use a Wound Vac, a device that gently pulls fluid away from the wound and stimulates healing. For some wounds, we recommend hyperbaric oxygen therapy.