Don't Delay in Caring for Wounds

Continued

“We have healing outcomes of 95 percent or higher and usually achieve a patient satisfaction rate of around 95 percent."
-Sherry Chappell

Sherry Chappell offers a definitive guideline when dealing with such a problem: "We tell people that a chronic wound is a wound that hasn't shown signs of healing in two weeks, or hasn't completely healed in six weeks. If you don't see some signs of healing after two weeks, or if it's getting worse, then you want to think about coming to a specialty wound care center."
Ms. Chappell has been associated with the Wound Care Center of the Ohio Valley Hospital since it opened in 1992 and has been director since 1997, so she is an authority on the subject of wound care.
She said, "We deal with chronic wounds, such as wounds caused by poor circulation, chronic arterial ulcers or venous stasis ulcers, pressure ulcers, and diabetic ulcers. At times there are complications from surgical wounds, where the operative site may open up and healing is delayed. We treat patients with non-healing wounds of any type."
And she explained why wounds won't just heal themselves: "There's an underlying reason why they're there to begin with and you need to do certain things to get them to heal." But because each patient and every wound is different, Ms. Chappell said, "When a patient comes in, we line them up with one of our 11 doctors and we measure and photograph all the wounds. We determine what the cause is and why it is not healing, because there are so many pieces of the puzzle that need to be in place for a wound to heal. We check to see if there is appropriate circulation, any infection, if the nutrition is adequate, if their diabetes is controlled, is the pressure kept off the wound area at all times; for example, are they wearing the right shoe. And then we determine the best treatment plan for that patient."
One component of the treatment might be hyperbaric oxygen therapy, which Ms. Chappell said helps certain types of wounds to mend. Another is debriding the wound, a surgical procedure that removes the unhealthy tissue along with some of the viable tissue, in order to increase healing. "Those debridements can be done in the OR," Ms. Chappell said, "but most are done within the Center, which makes it easy and convenient for the patient and the patient's family."
What if wounds remain untreated? "Ones that are ignored often become infected," she said. "Patients can become septic and very ill. Some have to face amputation. A chronic wound is frustrating for patients and caregivers. A lot of patients who come to us have had their wounds for months or even years, and they feel as if they've tried everything.
"But when they come in and we do all the right things, they'll start to see healing take place. We have healing outcomes of 95 percent or higher and usually achieve a patient satisfaction rate of around 95 percent." Patients may be self-referred or physician-referred to the Center.

For more information, contact the Wound Care Center at either of two locations: Pine Hollow Road in McKees Rocks at (412) 250-2600 or Mt. Nebo Pointe Drive in Pittsburgh at (412) 847-7500.


Did you know?

Nutrition can play an important part in healing wounds.
According to Sherry Chappell, director of the Wound Care Center at Ohio Valley Hospital, "You could be doing all other things right – you could be keeping pressure off the wound, you could be putting just the right dressing on that wound, you could be wearing the right shoe to off-weight the area, or controlling the swelling as prescribed. But if your nutrition isn't adequate – if the protein or albumin in your blood is too low – that wound's not going to heal. Sometimes you'll see people with bad veins, who have actually developed a wound around their whole lower leg, around their calf. And because of dealing with a wound that's been open so long, those patients lose microscopic blood, and they lose protein through those wounds. So the protein needs to be replenished, to make sure the levels are right. Protein is one of the building blocks of healing."

For more articles, download the Winter '10 issue (PDF)