Advanced Wound Care Treatments

Our services include:

• In-depth wound and health assessments to help diagnose your problem and develop your treatment plan
• Aggressive wound treatments that remove dead, damaged or infected tissue from a wound in order to expose healthy tissue, that optimizes  healing
• The latest wound dressings and techniques to care for your wounds
• Advanced wound care treatments and therapies, specially designed to enhance wound healing
• Access to specialty physicians such as plastic, general and vascular surgeons, podiatrists and others, as well as access to family medicine physicians, nurse clinicians and educators, footwear experts (pedorthotists), physical therapists and nutritionists
• Individualized patient and family education about wound care and prevention, nutrition and diet, diabetes, circulatory problems and other conditions affecting healing

Care for pressure ulcers (bedsores)

Pressure ulcers (bedsores) can develop under certain conditions, such as:

• Bed- or wheelchair-bound
• Limited mobility
• Must spend a lot of time in bed or a wheelchair
• Unable to sense pain
• Need to use external appliances such as a cast or brace for a prolonged period of time

A pressure ulcer develops when the blood supply to an area of the skin and tissues is compromised (cut off) for a period of time (as little as 2 hours) due to an external pressure source. This causes damage to the skin and tissues and can result in a pressure ulcer. If the pressure is not relieved, the damage to the tissues can worsen and lead to varying degrees of ulceration.

A pressure ulcer generally begins as a reddened and sometimes painful area on the skin. If the pressure continues, the skin and tissues become damaged and can quickly progress to an open sore or ulcer. The ulcer may be superficial or deep and may even extend into muscle and/or bone. Without proper care and treatment, pressure ulcers are slow to heal and sometimes do not heal.

Your specific treatment will be determined by evaluating the severity of your sore or ulcer in addition to your overall medical condition. Treatment may include:

• Procedures to remove dead or unhealthy tissue from the ulcer
• Wound care treatments with advanced dressings, therapies or medications to promote healing
• Infection prevention dressings or antibiotics
• Relieving pressure to the affected area
• Use of specialty equipment to relieve pressure 
• Surgical procedures to cover the wound with healthy skin and tissue to speed up the healing process 

Some things you can do to help prevent pressure ulcers include:

• Regular inspection of your  skin to look for areas of redness that do not turn white when you press on them, especially under new shoes, braces, casts and other appliances
• Regular inspection of your feet to look for red or open areas, blisters or cracks or hard calluses, especially if you have diabetes or have lost protective feeling in your feet
• Turning and repositioning yourself frequently while in bed, at least every 2 hours or more
• Shifting your weight frequently while in a wheelchair or chair, at least every 30-60 minutes
• Using soft padding or special pressure relieving pads or mattresses in wheelchairs and beds
• Maintaining proper nutrition and hydration
• Keeping your skin clean and dry and moisturizing dry or cracked skin

Care for radiation or other cancer-related wounds

Some cancer treatments, such as radiation or chemotherapy, may cause changes in the body’s tissues which sometimes affects how the skin and tissues heal. This may occur several months after treatment or may occur many years later.

If you have had cancer in the past, have been treated with radiation or chemotherapy or are having symptoms such as slow or delayed wound healing or unusual looking sores or lesions, talk with your doctor. Our wound care specialists may be able to help. 

Our center has the most experienced staff in the region to help diagnose and treat your condition.

Care if you have diabetes or poor circulation

If you have diabetes or suffer from poor circulation, taking care of a wound isn’t as simple as applying a bandage and antibiotic ointment.

Diabetic patients may lack feeling in the legs or feet, making it difficult to detect and heal simple cuts and scrapes. It also means injuries can take months to heal, putting you at greater risk for developing infection.

Poor circulation, especially in the lower legs and feet, can cause less blood and oxygen to reach body tissues. This can lead to weeping and/or swollen legs, open sores that take a long time to heal or do not heal and pain. Our wound care specialists work with you to help heal these wounds, manage your underlying problem or condition and prevent them from happening again.

We care for you with an individualized treatment plan. We will not only treat your wound but will  help you and your doctor manage other medical conditions related to diabetes or poor circulation.

Care if you have an ostomy

Having an ostomy means many life changes. You may have a new ostomy and are coping with significant physical changes and possibly difficult emotional changes. You may be experiencing problems with your ostomy appliance causing you pain, skin irritation or embarrassment. You may have had your ostomy for some time and now are experiencing ostomy-related skin or appliance problems. Maybe you don’t know where to turn for help.

We understand. You’ll find experienced, compassionate professionals that specialize in ostomy and skin care at LVHN.

We will help you manage and prevent skin complications related to your ostomy and/or your appliance. Caring for the skin around your ostomy properly is important because:

• When you have an ostomy, you eliminate body waste through the end of the exposed intestine (stoma), which can be irritating with prolonged contact with the skin
• Skin irritation can make it difficult to maintain a good seal between the skin and your ostomy appliance causing leakage under your appliance
• Understanding how to care for your ostomy will help you live more confidently and comfortably with it

Preventing and managing skin complications should they occur is an important part of keeping you and your ostomy healthy. Our wound care services include:

• Individualized education, guidance and practical suggestions to care for you and your ostomy if it is something new in your life or if you’ve lived with one for many years.
• Specialized care for ostomy-related skin problems and conditions
• Individualized education about your ostomy appliance and where to obtain your supplies

Care for a wound that isn’t healing

If you are frustrated with a cut, scrape, sore or surgical incision that isn’t healing or have had trouble with healing in the past, we can help. To determine your treatment, we begin by finding out why your wound isn’t healing. Your healing may be impaired because your blood sugar is not properly controlled (diabetes), you smoke, you have trouble with weeping or swelling of your legs or are experiencing some other medical condition. We look beyond the wound to help determine underlying causes for lack of healing and use that information along with the most advanced treatments and technologies to develop a treatment plan just for you.