Wound Care and Hyperbaric Treatment Center

Wound Care and Hyperbaric Treatment Center at Manatee Offers Relief from Chronic Wounds

When you or a loved one suffers from a wound or ulcer that hasn't healed in weeks, the staff at the Wound Care and Hyperbaric Treatment Center at Manatee Memorial Hospital can help.

Therapeutic and advanced treatments help promote faster healing and prevent the consequences of a slow-healing wound, such as bone infection and subsequent limb amputation.

Think limb amputation can't happen to you? Think again.

The National Limb Loss Information Center indicates that one in 200 people in the United States has undergone limb amputation.

People with chronic vascular conditions, or diseases that inhibit circulation such as diabetes, are most at risk for chronic wounds, infections and other serious complications that can lead to amputations.

Path Toward Healing

That's why the wound care specialists at Manatee Memorial Hospital help stimulate the body's restorative properties by removing dead tissue and then sterilizing and dressing wounds. Treatment begins with the painless removal of the dead tissue. Callus skin is excised manually or dissolved with enzyme treatments. Depending on the presence of infection, topical or intravenous antibiotics are delivered to the wound site. Some wounds can be closed with cultured skin grafts.

Advanced Therapy

A patient with a lack of oxygen or blood flow to a limb, a condition known as ischemia, may be a candidate for hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT). Talk with your doctor about whether hyperbaric oxygen therapy may be right for you. The treatment delivers pressurized oxygen to the wound site to help speed the healing process. During HBOT, oxygen is delivered at 2.5 to 3 times the atmospheric pressure, stimulating new blood vessel and cell growth to promote quick healing,

A typical course of HBOT lasts up to six weeks, with 20 to 30 daily "doses" of treatment. During therapy, patients rest comfortably in a hyperbaric chamber, where they may relax or watch television.

Nurses or case managers are available to assist patients and their family members with arrangements for transportation, home healthcare, durable medical equipment and other services. Some patients may be outfitted with off-loading devices, such as surgical boots and casts that relieve wound-site pressure to speed healing.

For more information about wounds, including care and treatment, download the brochures in our online Wound Care Library.