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The Advanced Wound Care and Hyperbaric Medicine Center at Raleigh General Hospital, operated through a partnership with Healogics, Inc., provides specialized treatment for chronic or non-healing wounds, which are defined as sores or wounds that have not significantly improved from conventional treatments. Associated with inadequate circulation, poorly functioning veins, and immobility, non-healing wounds lead to lower quality of life and may lead to amputations. When wounds persist, a specialized approach is required for healing.
Operated through a partnership with Healogics, Raleigh General Hospital is able to offer a comprehensive center with specialized wound care. Healogics is the world's largest wound care management company with nearly 800 hospital partners delivering evidence-based care to patients with chronic wounds. Healogics has been the leader in wound care for nearly 20 years, offering the most advanced modalities such as adjunctive hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT). Of special importance to our hospital, Healogics Centers traditionally achieve excellent clinical outcomes, including high limb salvage rates, a 91% healing rate within 30 median days-to-heal, and extremely high patient satisfaction.
That's where Raleigh General Hospital's wound care team can help. With state-of-the-art treatments available including debridement, dressing selection, special shoes, and patient education, people with non-healing and chronic wounds now have a place to turn. The Center uses an interdisciplinary model of care, including infectious-disease management, physical therapy, occupational therapy, laboratory evaluation, nutritional management, pain management, diabetes education, and other areas to address total patient health.
Our Center is this areas only Advanced Wound Care Center with two hyperbaric oxygen therapy chambers. Our multidisciplinary team includes a podiatric surgeon, general surgeons, a radiation oncologist and infectious disease and vascular surgeons as consultants.
It is estimated that 6.7 million people currently live with chronic wounds and that number is expected to grow at more than two percent for the next decade. The rising incidence is fueled by an aging population and increasing rates of diseases and conditions such as diabetes, obesity and the late effects of radiation therapy. Untreated chronic wounds can lead to diminished quality of life and possibly amputation of the affected limb. Chronic wounds represent a cost of more than $50 billion to the healthcare system. More than 29 million people (9.5% of population) have diabetes in the United States (US) and almost two million of those people annually will develop a diabetic foot ulcer or other non-healing wound. Advanced wound care aims to prevent amputations and heal patients in a faster and more cost-effective way.
At the Advanced Wound Care and Hyperbaric Medicine Center at Raleigh General Hospital, we follow treatment protocols specifically established for each type of wound. We utilize the latest approaches to wound healing and remain current in new scientific advances in wound care.
The Advanced Wound Care and Hyperbaric Medicine Center at Raleigh General Hospital is designed to complement your physicians' services and is committed to the treatment of chronic or non-healing wounds. The Center is made up of a team of professionals, including:
Patients are mostly referred by their primary care physician, but a referral is not always necessary to make an appointment. Patients undergo a thorough diagnostic examination to identify the type of wound you 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:
After this determination, a program specifically tailored to the patient's needs will be initiated based on the most effective treatment options. An interdisciplinary approach will be used to provide the maximum healing possible.
Specialized wound care is usually administered on an outpatient basis. Patients are free to drive themselves to the Center for therapy, and should plan 2 ½ to 3 hours for each visit.
Once a treatment plan has been initiated, the patient will visit the Center on a regular basis for specialized treatments and documentation of the progress of your healing. The patient will also be fully instructed on how to do their own wound care at home between visits, as well as how to protect their wounds from further injury. It is very important to remember that the patient is the most important part of their healing process. Keeping appointments and following directions are critical to attaining a positive healing outcome. The Center employs the most technologically advanced wound care therapy, including debridement, topical wound therapy, growth-factor therapy, tissue therapy, dressing selection, special shoes, and patient education. When wounds persist, a specialized and comprehensive approach is required for healing.
After an initial consultation and examination at the Center, the patient will receive complete instructions regarding their treatment.
Note: Please refrain from smoking or the use of any tobacco products during the entire course of therapy. Tobacco use will prolong or even prevent healing of a wound site due to its effect on the blood vessels.
If the patient has a cold or cough, the flu, sore throat, chills, nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea, inform the staff at the Center before their treatments begin. The patient also needs to alert the staff to any medications they are taking, or changes in medication during the course of their treatment. If the patient is diabetic, we ask that the please eat properly and continue to take their prescribed medication to control their blood sugar level. (Note: The patient's blood sugar level will also be checked during each visit to the Center.)
We look forward to serving our community. Please contact a member of our staff with any other questions.
The Advanced Wound Care and Hyperbaric Medicine Center at Raleigh General Hospital ®
1710 Harper Road
Beckley, WV 25801
304-254-3047
Monday -- Friday 8:00 am -- 4:30 pm
