Wound Center

The Wound Center includes physicians and nurses trained as specialists in wound healing treatment and Hyperbaric Oxygen Medicine. The addition of nursing staff allows for individualized case management at each visit and access to the physician on a regular basis, which allows for more extensive wound treatment to accelerate the healing process. Wound care services include, but are not limited to debridement, bioengineered skin substitutes, Hyperbaric Oxygen, VAC therapy, and total contact casting.

We work with referring physicians to determine a complete set of wound care procedures to address each patient's individualized needs. Our staff is trained to aggressively manage wounds to ensure they heal quickly and completely.

We provide all patients with dedicated and specialized attention, enabling them to return to a full life, free from the pain of chronic wounds.

Wound care is helpful for:

• Diabetic wounds
• Pressure ulcers
• Venous stasis ulcers (cause by poor blood circulation, usually of the legs)
• Arterial ulcers
• Vasculitic ulcers
• Non-healing surgical wounds
• Complex soft tissue wounds
• Traumatic wounds
• Infected wounds

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT), which is administered on a daily basis, allows a patient to breathe 100 percent oxygen (2-3 times greater than atmospheric pressure), resulting in an increase of 10-15 times in plasma oxygen concentration. This increased oxygen in the tissue creates the optimal environment for the body's natural healing processes to repair damaged tissue.

By forcing more oxygen into the tissue, HBOT encourages the formation of new blood vessels. As new blood vessels develop, the red blood cells start to flow, delivering even more oxygen to the affected area. This creates the optimal environment for the body's natural healing processes to repair damaged tissue.

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy is effective in treatment of:

• Diabetic wounds of the lower extremities
• Radiation injury, such as osteoradionecrosis (bone) or radionecrosis (soft tissue)
• Infection of the bone
• Compromised skin graft/flap
• Crush injuries
• Necrotizing infections (bacterial infections that destroy the muscle, skin and underlying tissue)
• Gas gangrene
• Arterial insufficiency (condition that stops or slows blood flow to arteries)
• Acute carbon monoxide poisoning

The Wound Center also offers a Limb Preservation Program. This program is one of only a few such programs in Indiana and specializes in treatment of patients with vascular disease or diabetes who are at risk for leg and foot amputation.

Our team consists of vascular surgeons, podiatrists and other experts dedicated to healing wounds and preventing amputations.

A nurse navigator will guide and support patients while in the program, connecting them to resources and services needed for their individual care plan. Additionally, our nurse navigator is available by phone and at clinic appointments to provide education and answer questions.

The patient's primary care provider is kept informed of treatment and progress to ensure seamless coordination of care.