Wound Care

Wound care refers to the medical practice of managing and treating injuries or open wounds to promote healing, prevent infection, and minimize complications. Wounds can range from small cuts and scrapes to more significant injuries such as surgical incisions, burns, ulcers, or traumatic injuries. Non-healing wounds develop when you have a health condition that restricts blood supply to the area resulting in increased risk of skin and bone infections. In severe cases, tissues die and amputation is required.

Our expert team will evaluate and monitor your wound closely to prevent and treat infections.

Signs of infection include:

• Increased drainage or drainage that smells bad
• Continued bleeding
• Frail tissue around the wound
• Increased pain or cellulitis
• Fever and chills

If an infection is left untreated, it can become fatal. It’s essential to monitor progress closely.

Wounds are considered non-healing if they do not show improvement after 30 days. In addition to not healing some signs and symptoms of a wound issue are:

• Numbness on or around the wound
• Pain that is severe or increases over time
• Changes in color
• A foul odor emanating from the wound
• Noticeable swelling around the wound
• Fever or other signs of infection such as redness or discharge

Non-healing wounds have several potential causes related to different underlying conditions.

To begin the healing process, wounds need an ample supply of oxygenated blood. Any condition which reduces blood flow can lead to poor wound healing. For example, people who are bedridden or have conditions such as partial or complete paralysis may not be able to move often, leading to blood pooling and pressure-related injuries such as pressure ulcers or “bed sores.”

Patients with diabetes and peripheral neuropathy may experience poor wound healing due to decreased circulation, particularly in the feet and legs. Swelling (or “edema”) can limit healing for the same reason.

Infection, including fungal, bacterial, and viral infections, can also interfere with the body’s natural healing process.

In addition, reinjuring or reopening a previous injury can slow or stop the healing process. This is a particularly challenging factor for people who are paralyzed or partially paralyzed, since they may not notice or be able to feel an injury occurring or reoccurring in the same spot.

Poor nutrition, smoking, excess alcohol, and other factors can also affect healing. In some cases, non-healing wounds have no obvious cause.

Serious wounds may take weeks or months to heal. In some cases, wounds are very resistant to the healing process and may never completely heal. Wound care is typically for non-healing wounds, such as pressure sores from prolonged lying in bed and foot ulcers commonly caused from diabetes due to decreased sensation in the feet.

Types of wounds needing care include:

• Diabetic Foot Ulcers
• Pressure Ulcers
• Lymphedema and Swelling
• Vascular Ulcers
• Venous Stasis Ulcers
• Acute and Chronic Wounds
• Trauma Wounds
• Surgical Wounds
• Burns
• Cuts or Lacerations

Innovation Medical Group uses the most advanced wound care techniques to help patients recover from non-healing wounds. Your wound care includes:

Assessing the wound
Innovation Medical Group uses cutting-edge technology such as the SnapshotNIR and MolecuLight® to evaluate wounds and make treatment decisions.

SnapshotNIR is a near-infrared imaging device that shows oxygen levels in different parts of the wound and determines the need for further testing to ensure you have an adequate blood supply to heal your wound. MolecuLight is another handheld imaging device that instantly measures bacteria levels in the wound. The device also determines the size of the wound.

Debriding the wound
Wound debridement removes all the dead and infected tissues in the wound. Your provider cleans the wound in the office and also shows you how to take care of it at home.

Applying dressings and treatments

The environment surrounding the wound can promote or inhibit healing. The type of dressing determines the healing environment for your ulcer. Your provider chooses from among today’s most advanced dressings to help your ulcer heal. For example, biologic dressings prevent the loss of water, heat, and healing proteins while also keeping out contaminants. Innovative dressings can facilitate wound cleaning and promote new tissue growth.

Innovation Medical Group may use a wide range of treatments to support wound healing, including:

• Debridement
• Custom Topical Antibiotics
• Compression Therapy
• Bio-engineered Tissue Substitutes
• Negative Pressure Therapy
• UltraMist Therapy
• Diabetic Foot At Risk Care
• Lymphedema Management Strategies and Therapeutic Exercises

Off-loading the wound
Off-loading relieves the pressure placed on a wound. Your provider may use total contact casting or custom orthotics to off-load your wound.

Treating the underlying condition
If you have diabetes, it’s essential to keep your blood sugar within the normal range. Other underlying causes such as venous disease and peripheral artery disease also need the appropriate treatment to prevent future ulcers.

Our advanced wound care team is multidisciplinary and comprehensive in its approach to diagnosing and treating chronic wounds. Our team is made up of highly skilled providers which include a variety of specialties including podiatrists, physicians, surgeons, nurse practitioners, lymphedema therapists, nurses, and other highly trained assistants. Collectively we have exceptional expertise in diagnosing and treating chronic, and often very complex, ulcerations, while addressing the underlying causes. We not only seek to have exceptional healing outcomes but to prevent wounds through

Our multispecialty team is focused on prevention of recurrence and can continue to follow and treat our patients to provide care to reduce the odds of wound recurrence. The type of wound will determine the best provider for your care. For example, our podiatrists may recommend ongoing diabetic at risk care to improve lower extremity skin and nail health, reduce calluses, and maintain custom orthotic prescriptions and needs.