The Center for Wound Healing and Hyperbaric Medicine at Saint Clare’s Hospital is continuing to thrive as it serves patients from miles away. Patients are making the drive for the latest in hyperbaric medicine and wound treatment. In 2007, over 3,000 patient visits were made to the Wound Center.
“We have patients coming from all over – Macoupin County, Jersey County, Calhoun County, Mt. Vernon, Greenville, as well as St. Louis and within our local community in Alton and Godfrey,” said interim Director, Chris Pelletier, RN. “While some patients are coming to us on their own referral, the majority of our patients are here from a doctor’s referral.”
The Center provides a multidisciplinary program of treatment and support services for the care of wound problems. Some patients develop wounds on their feet or ankles as a result of numbness caused by diabetes, which allows the wound to go undetected. Other wounds can be caused by poor blood circulation due to heart disease or even from the pressure of sitting for a prolonged period of time.
Non-healing wounds can cause considerable pain, suffering and loss of function. Examples of non-healing wounds assessed and treat in the wound center include: diabetic wounds of the lower extremity, chronic, non-healing wounds, venous stasis ulcers, pressure ulcers and crush injuries. In addition, the wound center staff can treat wounds caused by poor circulation, anemia, infection or malnutrition.
In 2008, the Wound Center will be putting to use the Pad Net system.
“The new Pad Net system allows us to do vascular studies in the department,” said Pelletier. “The doctors will have immediate resources and will be able to begin treatment as soon as possible. Instead of the patient leaving and making a new appointment or waiting for test results to get a diagnosis, we can begin treatment that day. This will be great for the patients traveling to the Wound Center. They will have less trips to make and can immediately begin treatment.”
Part of that treatment may involve the hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) therapy. As part of the Center, Hyperbaric chambers are available as effective technology that supplements other treatment methods used by physicians. HBO therapy involves daily visits to the wound center for a period of three to four week, then follow-up wound care to monitor healing progress. During HBO therapy, the patient is placed in a pressurized chamber where they are in a 100 percent oxygen environment. This increases the presence of oxygen within the wound and thus aids in the healing and growth of new tissue.
For more information about the Center for Wound Healing and Hyperbaric Medicine, please call 618/463-5300.