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Heart and Vascular Center
Wound Care ClinicA wound is a break in the skin that is caused by disease, injury, poor blood supply to the wound area, a surgical incision, poor nutrition or other causes. The body heals wounds through a natural process. At times, however, some wounds — big and small — don’t heal the way they should.
The Wound Care Clinic specializes in treating acute and chronic hard-to-heal wounds and patients with lymphedema (a chronic condition in which excess fluid [lymph] collects in tissues and causes swelling). Clinic team members — a certified wound care nurse, nurses certified in vascular care, a certified lymphedema physical therapist and a medical assistant — use proven, advanced techniques to treat many types of wounds. Medical College of Wisconsin physicians — a plastic surgeon and a vascular surgeon who serves as the clinic medical director — are also part of the clinic team.
Team members work closely with physicians who refer their patients to the clinic for care. Following treatment, team members may refer patients to other specialists (e.g., a plastic surgeon, vascular surgeon, dermatologist, neurologist, orthopaedic surgeon, dietitian and physical therapist) when appropriate, to ensure that underlying factors and health problems contributing to the delay of healing are addressed.
Many things can prevent a wound from healing, such as diseases (e.g., diabetes, poor blood flow or other vascular problems) medications, infections and/or poor nutrition. A wound that doesn’t heal places a person at risk for infection and more serious complications. The wound can cause discomfort, pain, disfigurement, and can also place limits on a person’s activities and quality of life.
The Wound Care Clinic follows national guidelines based on clinical evidence when treating and managing wounds. The clinic offers:
- State-of-the-art wound treatment such as advanced wound dressings, growth factor (to speed healing), ultrasonic debridement (a method of removing dead or infected tissue or foreign material from a wound) and various types of skin substitutes. Certain patients with a poor blood supply to a wound may be referred for hyperbaric chamber therapy at Froedtert & The Medical College of Wisconsin.
- Experienced staff specially trained in all types of wound care
- Extensive patient education to manage the care of wounds and prevent wound recurrence
The types of wounds treated in the clinic 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)
In addition, a certified lymphedema physical therapist provides treatment for lymphedema — swelling of an arm, leg or other body part because of an abnormal collection of lymph fluid in the body tissues. The therapist instructs patients on how to do manual lymph drainage techniques.
Last Review Date: June 18, 2008 Online Editor(s): Richard Petre |
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