The Center for Wound Care and Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy
BASIC INFORMATION
The Center for Wound Care and Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy is ready to care for and heal your chronic wounds
An estimated five million Americans suffer from chronic wounds. A chronic wound is one that has been present for more than 30 days with no improvement in healing. Many conditions may cause chronic wounds in the human body.
- Diabetes
- Chronic edema
- Circulatory problems
- Immobility
- Chronic venous insufficiency and venous stasis
- Traumatic injury
- Non-healing surgical wounds
- A variety of other diseases and circumstances that affect the skin
CONDITIONS THAT CAN BE TREATED
Conditions that can be treated through hyperbaric oxygen therapy
- Problem wounds complicated by hypoxia and specifically diabetic foot ulcers
- Refractory osteomeyelitis
- Compromised skin grafts or flaps
- Soft tissue radionecrosis
- Gas gangrene
- Air or gas embolism
- Decompression Sickness
- Carbon monoxide poisoning
- Cyanide poisoning
- Crush injury, compartment syndrome, and other acute traumatic ischemic injuries
- Necrotizing soft tissue infections
- Osteoradionecrosis
During treatment, you will encounter pressure changes similar to what you would experience during an airplane flight. Our staff will use equalization techniques to help relieve this pressure. Most diagnoses have a thirty-dive treatment regimen.
WOUND CARE OPTIONS
Wound treatment begins with a comprehensive examination and testing so we can discover exactly what’s causing your wound and the most effective method to treat it. Armed with this knowledge, your wound-care physician may recommend such options as:
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy, which brings 100 percent oxygen to your tissues to help promote healing and fight infection.
Specialized wraps and dressings to safeguard the wound from further infection and allow it to heal as quickly as possible.
Wound vacuum, which uses controlled negative pressure (vacuum) to help heal wounds.
Surgical intervention for wounds where a more invasive procedure is the best option for healing.
Physicians and specially trained wound-care nurses are here to help you heal
After your physician has referred you to the wound center, your wound-care nurse will collect general information and explain how we work with you to heal your wounds. A physician will then evaluate your wound and create a treatment plan and course of action to get you on the road to healing.
While different types of wounds require different amounts of time to heal, the average healing time is about 16 weeks. During the course of treatment, you will be seen each week by your physician for regular progress evaluation.
We keep in close communication with your primary care physician so he or she can track your wound-healing progress.
HYPERBARIC OXYGEN THERAPY
Oxygen is necessary to sustain life and enhance wound-healing. With chronic wounds, blood supply is usually poor. This limits the amount of oxygen that reaches the injured tissue and impairs healing.
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy forces more oxygen into the blood and tissues and helps boost the natural healing process.
Normally we breathe air that is 21 percent oxygen. With hyperbaric oxygen therapy, 100 percent oxygen is delivered to the patient at a pressure that is below sea-level pressure. For most hyperbaric oxygen therapy treatments, the patient is taken to 2 to 2.4 ATA (atmospheres absolute), which is the equivalent of diving 33 to 45 feet below sea level.
CONTACT US
7301 Rogers Ave.
Fort Smith, AR 72903
Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
To speak with a wound-care nurse and for general information:
(479) 314-2804
Fax: (479) 314-2807
To schedule an appointment, call out-patient scheduling:
(479) 314-6066 |
