Wound Care and Hyperbaric Medicine
Right Here, Close to Home!
WOUND HEALING CENTER
Welcome to Troy Regional Wound Care and Hyperbaric Medicine Center. We are dedicated to healing wounds, preventing lower limb loss, and optimizing outcomes for our patients.
If you or a loved one has a wound that is of concern or is not healing properly, we encourage you to visit the wound center for an evaluation.
A wound that is not healing properly may be complicated by underlying conditions such as diabetes, circulation problems, or previous radiation treatment. Sometimes the simplest of wounds can turn into a significant problem because the body’s normal healing process is affected. Other types of hard-to-heal wounds result from pressure, trauma, or infection. Non-healing wounds can have serious health consequences and may adversely affect your quality of life.
Types of Wounds Treated
As a comprehensive wound center, we specialize in treating wounds of all types, including:
Please contact the Troy Regional Wound Care Center at 334-566-0546 to learn more about how we can help you or a loved one.
What is a Comprehensive Wound Healing Center?
The Wound Care/Hyperbaric Medicine Center at Troy Regional is a comprehensive wound center, a coordinated outpatient center that uses advanced techniques and therapies to provide the best chance of wound healing. A comprehensive wound center can provide outpatient care to those suffering with a chronic wound in a way no other provider can – all in one location.
Our Multidisciplinary Approach
Our wound center follows a multidisciplinary approach to wound care, coordinating traditional and advanced therapies that aid and accelerate the healing process, which may include:
- Diagnostic testing (can include vascular testing, blood tests, x-rays)
- Nutritional evaluation
- Infection control
- Specialized dressings
- Pressure-relieving devices
- Debridement (removal of dead or infected tissue)
- Patient education
- Cellular, acellular, matrix-like products (CAMPs), also called skin substitutes
- Hyperbaric oxygen (HBO₂ therapy)
Wound Care Treatment Plan
Your treatment plan is the personalized plan your provider creates to help you heal. It includes everything your wound care provider is doing in clinic and what you need to do at home between appointments, including following dressing orders, changing your diet, or attending your weekly appointments.
Throughout your time as a patient at our center, we will also keep your primary care provider or referring physician informed on our treatment through timely progress reports, and you will be discharged from our center back to their office when the plan is complete. Following your treatment plan is the single most important factor in your healing. Please don’t hesitate to contact your care team if you have any questions about your wound care treatment plan.
Your course of treatment depends on what type of wound you have. During your first visit, our staff will evaluate your wound and review your medical history. You may also need special tests that give us information about circulation and infection. This will help to determine what course of treatment you will need.
Once a treatment plan has been prescribed, you will visit the wound healing center weekly for specialized treatments and documentation of your healing progress. Keeping appointments and following directions are critical to attaining a positive healing outcome. Some things you can do to assist with your healing:
- Care for your wound at home as directed by the wound care team
- Take medications as directed
- Return for your follow-up appointments
- Keep regular appointments with your primary care physician while you are receiving wound care treatment
Following your treatment is the single most important factor in your healing. Please don’t hesitate to contact us at 334-566-0546 to learn more about our doctors or treatment plans. We’re happy to clarify anything you feel uncertain about regarding the wound care treatment process.
Hyperbaric oxygen (HBO₂) therapy is a safe, noninvasive outpatient medical treatment prescribed by a doctor to enhance the body’s ability to heal. During HBO₂ therapy, patients breathe 100% pure oxygen while inside a pressurized chamber. The pressure inside an HBO₂ chamber is about two-and-a-half times greater than the normal pressure in the atmosphere. This high-pressure environment allows the blood to carry more oxygen to all parts of your body to repair injured tissue. It also helps to fight certain infections, such as those that occur in the bone. Often used in conjunction with other treatments, many different indications have been shown to benefit from HBO₂ therapy, including the following:
- Diabetic foot ulcers
- Chronic bone infections, also called osteomyelitis
- Non-healing surgical skin flaps and grafts
- Symptoms on or around the point of radiation (such as pain, rectal or bladder bleeding, dry mouth, difficulty swallowing, or an open wound)
- Crush injuries
- Certain types of sudden hearing loss
- Sudden vision loss
Prior to entering the chamber, patients are given a hospital gown to wear. No cosmetics, perfumes, hair preparations, deodorants, wigs, jewelry, or electronic devices are allowed in the chamber. The HBO₂ technician will need to know if you are taking any medications, including non-prescription drugs, or if you have any medical devices. Most pacemakers are allowed in the chamber.
Patients are also advised not to drink alcohol or carbonated beverages for four hours prior to treatment. Smoking and the use of tobacco products interferes with the body’s ability to transport oxygen. Therefore, the wound care team will work with you on techniques to help stop smoking during the treatment period.
One treatment, or “dive,” takes about two hours and is quite comfortable for most patients. During this time, patients can rest or sleep, watch television, or listen to music. During certain portions of the treatment, patients may experience some fullness or a popping sensation in the ears similar to what is felt while flying in a plane or driving in the mountains, but the HBO₂ technician will teach you how to clear your ears to relieve this sensation.
HBO₂ therapy is provided once daily for several weeks throughout your treatment plan. For HBO₂ therapy to be effective, it must be provided consistently. HBO₂ treatments are much like antibiotic treatments because they only work when taken regularly for the time prescribed by your wound care provider.
We understand that coming to the HBO₂ unit each day is a commitment; however, to obtain the greatest benefit from HBO₂ therapy, we strongly advise coming to every scheduled appointment. Following your treatment plan is the single most important factor in your healing.
Please don’t hesitate to contact your care team if you have any questions about your HBO₂ therapy treatment plan. We are happy to clarify anything you feel uncertain about regarding the HBO₂ therapy treatment process.
