Chronic wounds shouldn’t be taken lightly.

A chronic wound is an injury that does not progress though the normal stages of healing within 30 days. Some people, such as those with diabetes, are at higher risk of chronic wounds. But whether this is your first chronic wound or you have had one for years, there are treatment options available.

What causes a chronic wound?

There are many causes of chronic wounds. Often, other medical problems are contributing factors to chronic wounds. Some of those include diabetes, problems with veins and challenges with blood supply, which affects the legs and feet.

There are also patients who have had surgery and developed an infection that did not allow their surgical incision to heal as expected, which results in a chronic wound. Finally, there are patients with trauma or an injury over a large area of their body that will take a long time to heal.

What are treatment options for chronic wounds?

In making a treatment plan, we take a holistic view of the patient. We look at all the different medical issues they have and put a course of treatment together with the patient and/or their family. Often, that may involve the home health nurse taking care of them. We do a lot of coordination regarding what type of dressings they’ll need and what type of cleaning the wound requires. We follow these patients weekly, making sure they are on the right course to total healing.

What is hyperbaric oxygen therapy?

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is a modality or treatment plan we use for some types of patients and in some types of wounds. For example, patients may be affected by radiation therapy after cancer treatment that leads to tissue damage. Some of those patients need high-pressure oxygen. The patient breathes it in, and the oxygen travels to areas of the body that have less oxygen, including areas damaged due to radiation. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy has distinct criteria for use. It is a daily treatment because it has a progressive and cumulative effect.

Do patients need a referral to see you?

Patients can self-refer if they have concerns of their own, such as a spider bite that won’t heal. We see patients who may have had wounds in the past and are at higher risk for chronic wounds. Your wound should heal within a few weeks, and if it’s not, you can give us a call, and we can evaluate you.

We also have patients who are referred by their physician because their doctor is treating a wound, and the wound is not healing as they expected it to despite regular care.

Stephanie Sandberg, DO, is with the Advanced Wound Center, located at 2630 Highway K in O’Fallon.

To schedule an appointment, please call 636-980-5333. To learn more about wound care, visit progresswest.org/woundcare.