Wound Care Center - Clifton Springs

About The Wound Care Center at Clifton Springs

If you're suffering from a non-healing wound, you're not alone. Every year, almost six million Americans, just like you, are kept from from doing things they love to do because of chronic non-healing wounds. Whether caused by diabetes, poor circulation, physical trauma or other conditions, The Center for Wound Care can help heal your wound and get your life back.

Our multidisciplinary team of dedicated doctors and nurses treat more chronic wounds than anyone else.  In fact, many of our patients find relief at The Center even after months or years of other treatments have been unsuccessful. Wound Care is all we do. In fact, for most patients, the Center for Wound Care program leaves them completely healed in just a few months.

As a hospital-based outpatient service, the center uses the most up-to-date approaches to wound healing and remains current in the latest scientific advances in wound care.

Who needs wound care?

If you have a sore or wound that is not significantly better in a month, or healed entirely in two months, you should ask your doctor about the Center for Wound Care & Hyperbaric Medicine.

There are a variety of circumstances in which a person may need wound care. They include, but are not limited to:

• Ulcers (pressure, diabetic, neuropathic or ischemic)
• Surgical wounds
• Vasculitis
• Burns
• Peristomal skin irritations
• Soft tissue radionecrosis
• Actinomycosis
• Preservation of compromised skin grafts and flaps
• Crush injury/acute traumatic peripheral ischemia
• Progressive necrotizing infections (necrotizing fasciitis)
• Osteoradionecrosis
• Traumatic wounds

What you can expect

On your first visit, our staff will evaluate your wound and general health. They'll review your medical, wound and medication history.  A blood test may be involved. You may also need special tests that give us information about blood flow and oxygen flow in the area of your wound.

Your Healing Program is determined upon the results of your personal needs as well as testing and evaluation.  This program will include regular visits to The Center for treatment and evaluations of your progress.  You and/or their care-givers will be given detailed instructions for home-care including dietary and nutrition recommendations, instructions for changing dressings (bandages)  and recommendations for protecting the wound from further injury.

You're a vital Part of the Program and much of the success of your treatment depends on you. You need to keep your appointments, follow directions carefully and watch your progress closely between visits. If you or your family members have questions between appointments, you can call The Center at 315.462.0611.  Our staff is pleased to answer any questions you may have.

We work with your doctor, just like any other medical specialist.  Unless instructed otherwise, we'll discuss your treatment program with your doctor and keep them updated on your progress.  You'll need to keep seeing your doctor for routine medical care.

A variety of treatment options are available depending on type and severity of a wound. Treatment may include:

• Infectious disease management
• Physical therapy
• Vascular evaluation
• Laboratory evaluation
• Nutritional management
• Pain management
• Diabetic education
• Nuclear medicine
• Radiology
• Debridement
• Hyperbaric oxygen therapy

Insurance coverages vary so be sure to bring your insurance cards with you when you visit the center. Many plans, including Medicare and Medicaid, reimburse for most approved procedures, so it's important that The center is able to work with you and your insurance company.

Hyperbaric oxygen treatment

The Center is comprised of four patient rooms for wound care treatments. Hyperbaric chambers are one of several tools in healing chronic wounds.  These acrylic chambers sustain an environment of 100% oxygen. They are completely transparent and have their own TV and music player for patients to watch movies or listen to music during treatment. This helps to reduce anxiety and allows patients to maintain contact with staff and others.

While breathing pure oxygen, a individual's blood plasma becomes oxygen-saturated, carrying 20 to 30 times the normal amount of oxygen to the body's tissues.  As a result, the body's natural oxygen-dependent wound healing mechanisms function more efficiently.  Continued use of hyperbaric oxygen treatment increases the body's immune and healing response.  Our Certified Hyperbaric Technician works with each patient to assure the best possible treatment results.

Conditions that may benefit from hyperbaric oxygen treatment include:

• Diabetic wounds of the lower extremity
• Wounds that have not healed in several weeks
• Post-radiation tissue injury
• Crush injuries
• Wounds caused by poor circulation or trauma
• Compromised grafts and flaps
• Gangrene
• Pressure ulcers
• Necrotizing soft tissue infections
• Carbon monoxide poisoning
• Acute traumatic peripheral ischemia
• Compromised skin grafts and flaps
• Osteomyelitis
• Actinomycosis