Continued…

Diabetes can cause neuropathy, poor circulation and skin changes that can lead to infections and wounds that need special attention. Wounds that have not healed in four weeks with standard medical care are considered problems and need specialized treatment. The Advanced Wound Care Center at St. Joseph Medical Center is an outpatient clinic which specializes in treating patients with chronic, slow- or non-healing wounds. Specialists at the Center – dermatologists, podiatrists, endocrinologists, infectious disease consultants and surgeons – work with the patients’ primary care physician to assure continuity of care.

“The advantage this program,” said Leon Etter, MD, a general surgeon and medical Director of the Advanced Wound Care Center, “is it’s comprehensive approach. Patients come in, often debilitated, and find an area that is designed specifically for their safety and comfort. They have no problem with access; they have continuity of care. All their records are here, and we communicate with their primary care physicians.”

Neuropathy, or nerve damage, lessens a person’s ability to feel pain, heat or cold. Skin can become damaged or infected without the person knowing. Poor blood circulation, caused by artery disease, weakens the body’s ability to fight infection and to heal, while skin may become dry enough to crack of peel. People with diabetes are far more likely to have a foot or leg amputation than others; most are preventable with regular and proper care. Care at the Center begins with a thorough health assessment; individualized treatment plans may involve debridement, infection control, revascularization, skin grafting or hyperbaric oxygen therapy. Patient and family education is a very important component of treatment.

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is used for some chronic wounds. Patients receive 100 percent oxygen under pressure in one of the three single-person chambers. This allows a high concentration of oxygen to attach to red blood cells and be transported to the wound site. Studies have shown this therapy to increase healing by an average of 25 percent in appropriate patients.

The Advanced Wound Care Center at St. Joseph Medical Center is located in the Susan K. Strake Building on St. Joseph Parkway. It is the only one of its kind in downtown Houston.