The Wound Care and Hyperbarics Center at Sebastian River Medical Center provides specialized treatment for chronic or non-healing wounds, which are defined as sores or wounds that have not significantly gotten better during the course of conventional treatment.
These wounds can cause severe health risks and may result in life-threatening infections, possible amputation and debilitating health problems. With the state-of-the-art treatment available at The Wound Care Center, however, people with slow-healing wounds no longer have to suffer. Our comprehensive approach can heal wounds that have resisted other treatments, and help you avoid loss of limbs, reduce incidence of recurrence, and get your life back.
Are You a Candidate?
If you suffer from a chronic or non-healing wound, speak with your physician about our Wound Care Center. You may be a candidate for our outpatient program. If you are, the Wound Care Center will work with you and your doctor to deliver:
• Advanced therapies
• Proven clinical protocols
• An individualized, comprehensive plan of care that brings you the most appropriate and effective treatments for your particular needs
• Assessment and ongoing care by our highly skilled team of wound care specialists, including a case manager who will oversee every aspect of your case
• Thorough training for you and your family on caring for the wound at home
• Education materials and resources related to prevention, nutrition, hygiene and other key topics for you and your family
• Ongoing communication so that you and your doctor stay informed and up-to-date on all aspects of your healing.
If You Need Treatment: Frequently Asked Questions
How Do I Get Help from the Wound Care Center?
You may call the Wound Care Center directly or be referred by your doctor. To make an appointment, call: (772) 581-2070.
Does This Mean I Have to Change Doctors?
Not at all. In fact, the Wound Care Center works with your personal physician in the same way as we would any medical specialist. We keep your doctor informed on all aspects of your treatment with frequent progress reports. While you’ll be receiving treatment for your wound from the Wound Care Center, you’ll continue to receive all of your routine care from your physician.
Does Insurance Cover Treatment?
Many health plans cover Wound Care Center treatments. We can help you determine what your specific plan covers.
What Can I Expect at the First Appointment?
The first appointment consists of an in-depth assessment by our wound care team, a review of your medical history, blood tests or additional tests if needed, and recommendations for your treatment plan. Please bring your medical records, insurance card, a list of all medications you are taking, and a list of allergies you may have to the first appointment. Expect to spend several hours at the Center.
What Causes Non-Healing Wounds?
Chronic and non-healing wounds can result from a number of factors, including diabetes, poor circulation, trauma, vascular disease, and immobility (which can lead to pressure ulcers, commonly known as bed sores). People with diabetes are at particular risk. If you have a wound that won’t heal, you are not alone. Approximately 7 million Americans experience this condition. The good news is that you no longer have to suffer. The Wound Care Center not only uses among the most advanced therapies available for healing, but it also addresses the underlying cause of the wound—for example, nutrition, lack of exercise, hygiene, ill-fitting shoes—to help eliminate recurrence.
Hyperbaric Medicine
The Center for Wound Care and Hyperbaric Medicine is home to two state of the art monoplace hyperbaric chambers .
Nearly 5 million Americans suffer from non-healing wounds caused by diabetes, circulatory problems and a variety of other conditions. Sadly, the effects of these wounds extend beyond the physical, often significantly impacting patients’ independence and quality of life.
A new treatment, called hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT), has the unique ability to speed healing, and in some cases prevent amputation. The main reason a wound won’t heal is because of inadequate circulation, which is often the result of injury, infection, radiation therapy, diabetes or arterial disease. Therapies used to speed healing include medications, nutrition management, diabetic education and wound debridement.
HBOT was perfected years ago through the U.S. Navy, which used it to decompress divers from the bends. Over the past 10 years, it has been used internationally for the treatment of chronic wounds. The Center’s multidisciplinary approach is reflected by its variety of team physicians, who include endocrinologists, podiatrists, ophthalmologists, nephrologists, nutritionists and exercise specialists.
In HBOT, the patient lies down in a clear circular chamber. The chamber is an oxygen-rich environment that “super-charges” the patient’s plasma with oxygen as he or she breathes in and out. HBOT maximizes the blood flow to the wound, and permeates the wound tissue with the oxygen needed to heal. The high concentration of oxygen recruits a lot of the body’s
own natural healing factors to the wound site, as well as stimulates new blood vessels to grow.
A physician is always on site, and patients are monitored continually by a certified HBOT operator who can talk with them throughout the session. Each patient’s case is individual, however, and successful results may require from 15 to 50 daily sessions. With a physician’s prescription, Medicare and most insurance companies cover HBOT.
For more information about our Wound Care Center, please call 772.581.2070