Wound Care

For millions of Americans, a chronic or non-healing wound is more than a bother—it carries serious complications and risks, from pain and infection to disability and amputation. The SSM Health wound care team can help manage complicated wound problems while maximizing your body’s natural ability to mend itself.

Why choose SSM Health for wound care treatment?

Our team of experienced wound care specialists will work with you and your physician to assess your symptoms, determine the cause of your non-healing wound and customize the most effective treatment plan to stimulate healing. Our wound centers follow national guidelines based on clinical evidence when treating and managing wounds. Schedule an appointment today to learn about the state-of-the-art wound treatment options offered by our centers.

Wound care begins with a comprehensive evaluation and development of an individualized care plan. Each patient receives a custom wound care regimen, which may include the following treatment approaches:

• Sharp debridement
• Specialty dressings and topical applications
• Multi-layer compression wraps
• Custom compression hose fitting

• Wound V.A.C. therapy
• Off-loading devices
• Off-loading of pressure points

Wound care staff will work closely with your medical team to provide the most effective and efficient treatment for your wound(s). Our team also evaluates the need for coordinating treatment of underlying medical issues. Home nursing care and supply orders are coordinated as needed. Your treatment may include other specialized care, including:

• Hyperbaric oxygen therapy
• Advanced wound care dressings
• Infectious disease management
• Vascular evaluation
• Laboratory evaluation

• Nutritional evaluation
• Pain management
• Diabetic education
• Use of skin substitutes

Who benefits from wound care?

If you have a wound that has not begun to heal within four weeks, or is not completely healed in six weeks, you may benefit from the therapies we offer. Advanced wound care may be appropriate for the treatment of:

• Any wound that has not shown signs of improvement in 30 days
• Burns
• Chronic and non-healing wounds
• Wounds that are resistant to routine care
• Incisions that won’t heal after surgery
• Wounds associated with diabetes or compromised circulation, such as diabetic foot ulcers
• Pressure ulcers (Bedsores)
• Radiation Wounds
• Skin Tears
• Venous Stasis Ulcers

What types of wounds do you treat?

Common wounds treated by SSM Health wound care specialists include:

• Vascular leg ulcers (caused by inadequate blood flow through leg veins or arteries)
• Diabetic foot ulcers
• Pressure ulcers
• Surgical or traumatic wounds
• Wounds caused by edema (swelling), cancer, radiation treatment (skin breakdown), burns, infections and scleroderma (a disease of connective tissue in which scar tissue forms in the skin)
• Ulcers due to vasculitic disease
• Peristomal dermatitis
• All other wound healing modalities

How do I identify a non-healing wound?

Make an appointment with your healthcare provider if you experience any of the following symptoms:

• If your toes appear purple or black
• If you notice a sore area with increased warmth and redness
• If you notice a wound and are not sure what caused it
• If your wound does not show significant signs of healing after five to seven days
• If a wound keeps coming back in the same location

What is hyperbaric chamber treatment for wounds?

If you have a wound that won't heal, the hyperbaric oxygen chamber (HBO) treatment might be right for you. HBO is a treatment in which the patient breathes 100% pure oxygen while inside a pressurized chamber. HBO therapy can help reduce swelling, fight infection, build new blood vessels, and produce healthy tissue.

How do I see a wound care specialist?

Wound care services require referral by a physician. Your physician may refer you for would care services for the following:

• Wounds that fail to improve after 4 weeks of conventional treatment
• Chronic wounds of every description
• Chronic wound in patients with previous amputations
• Chronic wounds with exposed/infected bone
• Peripheral vascular disease
• Pressure ulcers
• Non-healing surgical wounds
• Evaluation for lymphedema
• Ostomy skin issues

Our team will perform a thorough evaluation to determine the cause of your non-healing wound and customize a treatment plan to stimulate healing.