The latest technology used by the Lancaster General Hyperbarics & Wound Care Center® is a breath of fresh air—or rather—100 percent pure oxygen. Called Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT), this treatment is being used to help treat chronic non-healing wounds, along with other therapies.

“Generally, we try basic wound care measures first before considering HBOT,” explains Louis J. Neureuter, MD, Medical Director of Hyperbaric Medicine. Dr. Neureuter is board certified in hyperbaric medicine and is sharing his years of expertise by teaching other doctors at the center how to administer HBOT.

HBOT is a relatively painless and safe treatment most commonly used to help treat diabetic ulcers on the feet or legs, compromised skin grafts and flaps, bone infection or delayed radiation injury. The Wound Care Center team works closely with each other and a patient’s personal physicians to assure optimal outcomes and to formulate an appropriate treatment plan.

“Each person’s wound is different,” explains Michael S. Flood, MD, Medical Director of the Wound Care Center. “We look at how long the person has had the wound, what has been done previously and then we figure out what we can do as a team to help. We treat people with the philosophy of getting difficult chronic wounds to heal and to limit limb loss.”

Dr. Neureuter adds, “Because HBOT causes changes at the cellular level, it takes a series of treatments for healing to occur.”

If the team determines that a patient could benefit from HBOT, he or she then undergoes an evaluation and explanation of HBOT. During an HBOT session, patients wear a 100 percent cotton gown and relax for 90-120 minutes in a pressurized chamber where they inhale 100 percent oxygen. As they breathe in the oxygen, it is absorbed into their blood, which circulates throughout their body to promote healing and infection control, save damaged tissues and increase blood vessel formation. HBOT treatments typically involve a daily treatment five times a week for 20-40 treatments, based upon the patient’s diagnosis, condition and response to therapy.

Depending on the wound being treated, HBOT patients may continue to see other members of the team, including nurses, general or vascular surgeons, a plastic surgeon or a foot surgeon. These medical professionals evaluate and monitor the healing process. They thoroughly clean and dress the wound, removing any dead skin or contaminated tissue to maximize the healing process.

In addition to HBOT, the center is using other advancements such as Apligraf®, Dermagraft® and V.A.C.® Therapy. FDA-approved Apligraf and Dermagraft disks are bioengineered skin grafts that stimulate healing when laid over a wound. V.A.C.® (Vacuum Assisted Closure) Therapy™ uses controlled negative pressure to pull infectious materials and fluids from the wound to promote healing.

The center treats people with wounds from mild to severe, including burns, venous stasis ulcers and pressure sores. Certain medications, infections, diseases, disorders, traumas and other underlying conditions such as diabetes and circulatory problems can keep a wound from healing as it should. The team works to identify what can be done to overcome any problems with healing and to restore quality of life for the patients.

Besides expanding its therapeutic options, the Hyperbarics & Wound Care Center has made other improvements to better serve patients, including partnering with Curative Health Services, a national leader in wound care management programs. The center also moved from the first floor of the Lancaster General Health Campus to a larger suite on the third floor. The new space allows the center to offer all private exam rooms. “Our patients appreciate being able to discuss medical options for wound care in private,” says Steph Mnich, RN, Clinical Manager.

For a brochure on wound management or HBOT, call the Lancaster General Hyperbarics & Wound Care Center at 544-3216.

The Link Between Chronic Wounds & Diabetes

Chronic non-healing wounds are often associated with poor blood flow to a wound. People with diabetes often face a greater risk for developing chronic wounds.

• Up to 1.5 million of the estimated 18 million people with diabetes suffer from chronic wounds, most commonly non-healing foot ulcers.
• More than 60 percent of non-traumatic lower limb amputations in the United States occur among people with diabetes.
• A combination of good nutrition, proper foot care and regular doctor visits may help prevent chronic wounds and other complications of diabetes.
• Multiple treatment options are available should chronic wounds develop.