What's New in Wound Care?
Do you have a wound that just won't heal due to diabetes or another condition? The team at the Southwest Healthcare System Center for Wound Care and Hyperbaric Medicine uses established techniques and advanced technology to help treat these wounds.
New Hyperbaric Oxygen Chambers
The Center, located adjacent to Inland Valley Medical Center, has long offered hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) therapy, which involves lying in a pressurized cylinder while breathing pure oxygen. HBO therapy increases the oxygen in the blood to many times its normal level. This "super-oxygenated" blood then enhances the body's ability to fight infection, reduces swelling and promotes new blood vessel growth.
"The chambers are more spacious and provide enough room to allow patients to sit in a reclining position, rather than lie flat," notes Center Manager Glenn Gary. "Each treatment can last up to 120 minutes, and patients undergo multiple treatments, so we really want them to be comfortable."
A Team Approach
The science of wound care is always advancing. At the Center, physicians work to stay abreast of current treatment options -- like ultrasonic mist therapy, a promising new technique. It uses ultrasound waves, delivered through a gentle mist of sterile saline, to kill bacteria and promote healthy tissue growth.Some cases may require multidisciplinary approaches that include various physicians. "We offer access to many specialists, from infectious disease physicians to podiatrists to vascular surgeons, all in one place," Mr. Gary says.
