Wounds can hurt in more ways than one, especially when they limit your ability to do what you love. Our wound healing care specialists at UofL Health - Jewish Hospital minimize the pain by custom-designing the ideal treatment plan for you. Please call 502-561-3918 to talk to one of our specialists today.
The following conditions may benefit from wound healing care:
- Acute wounds
- Surgical wounds
- Osteomyelitis
- Fasciitis
- Arterial ulcers
- Diabetic ulcers
- Pressure ulcers
- Venous ulcers
- Traumatic wounds
- Radiation injury
A multitude of diagnostic and state-of-the-art treatment options are available:
- Hyperbaric Medicine
- Specialized dressings
- Lab tests
- X-rays
- Vascular studies
- Wheelchairs, crutches or other assistance devices
- Physical therapy
- Nutritional counseling
- Surgery
- Skin Substitutes
- Negative Pressure Wound Therapy
- Many others
To minimize the wound healing cycle, all patients are supplied with educational tools for home and lifestyle adjustments. Leading-edge management techniques for related medical conditions are also taught.
Our comprehensive programs for healing problem wounds provide the following key benefits:
- Care designed to be affordable while enhancing recuperative success rates
- Accredited physicians, nurses and allied health care providers trained in the latest multi-level specialty wound care techniques
- Individualized wound healing care management plans integrated into follow-up
Types of wounds
Common types of chronic wounds
When one of these types of non-healing wounds appears, notify your doctor or call a specialist. If you see signs of infection, increased temperature, odor, increased drainage, increased pain, coolness or heat at the site of the wound, seek medical attention immediately.
Diabetic or neuropathic foot ulcers
Some of the most common types of non-healing wounds are diabetic or neuropathic foot ulcers. When you lose feeling in your feet, you can easily injure them. It is very common for people who have lost feeling in their feet and legs to burn them or harm them in some other way and not know it.
Pressure ulcers (bedsores)
Pressure ulcers, also known as bedsores, develop when skin is squeezed between a bone and an external surface, such as a bed or wheelchair. They are most likely to develop at the tailbone, heels, elbows, shoulder blades, knees, ankles, the back of the head or the spine. Pressure ulcers are common in people who have difficulty walking and for those who are bedridden or wheelchair-bound.
Venous stasis ulcers
Venous stasis ulcers occur in the lower legs between the ankles and the knees and are caused by poor circulation. They develop when blood pools in the legs because of damaged valves in the veins. The legs may swell, feel hardened or become discolored.
Vascular ulcers
Vascular ulcers occur because the blood supply to the feet is decreased. These wounds are usually very painful and require immediate treatment to determine if it is possible to save the limb.
What to expect
Patients are mostly referred by their primary care physician but can schedule appointments for themselves. The program does operate by appointment. Patients will undergo a thorough diagnostic examination to identify the type of wound they have and the underlying problems causing the wound. The initial appointment consists of a full assessment to determine the etiology of the wound, the appropriate classification and size of the wound, the overall health status of the patient and the patient’s ability to comply with needed therapies.
Based on the evaluation, a customized treatment plan is developed to optimize the therapies best suited to address the patient’s needs. Wound size and depth are documented at the initial visit, and again at each subsequent visit. Some of the diagnostic modalities which may be used include:
- Laboratory evaluation
- Radiology (including MRI)
- Transcutaneous oxygen testing
- Vascular studies, electrocardiogram
- Ultrasound
After this determination, a program specifically tailored to your needs will be initiated based on the most effective treatment options. An interdisciplinary approach will be used to provide the maximum healing possible.
