A Special Team for Treating Non-healing Wounds

Friday, December 30, 2016
bandaged foot and ankle in hyperbaric chamber

Some wounds can’t heal on their own. Those that haven’t responded to conventional treatment and started to heal in 30 days are considered chronic. The Wound Care Center® at Northern Nevada Medical Center is a hospital-based outpatient service staffed by a skilled team of doctors and nurses who are committed to healing chronic wounds.

At The Wound Care Center, patients find highly specialized care for conditions such as diabetic ulcers, pressure sores and serious infections. “We provide advanced infection therapy that can include debridement — removal of dead or infected tissue — therapeutic dressings and topical treatment,” says Todd Inman, MD, Medical Director of The Wound Care Center. “For burns and certain grafts as well as crush injuries or serious wounds associated with diabetes, we may use hyperbaric oxygen therapy."

How Does Hyperbaric Oxygen Help?

Breathing 100 percent pure oxygen increases the oxygen level in the blood. As this blood circulates in the body, it helps fight infection, reduce swelling and assist growth of new blood vessels. The center’s two hyperbaric oxygen chambers deliver oxygen at many times the normal rate and pressure. “Whether healing is needed in the bones, soft tissue or cells, exposing a patient to 100 percent pure oxygen can, in many cases, accelerate healing,” says Dr. Inman.

Ask your doctor about The Wound Care Center at Northern Nevada Medical Center, or call 775-352-5353 for more information.