A Comprehensive Approach to Healing: The Value Behind Early Intervention
How valuable is early intervention HBOT in a comprehensive wound care treatment plan?
Our team of physicians and clinicians believe that early intervention can be a game-changer in wound care. We’ll discuss the what, the why, and the how of early wound diagnosis and treatment in this post.
But first, let's look at some of the more prevalent indications for hyperbaric oxygen therapy. These are some commonly encountered chronic wounds and wound etiologies that can be effectively treated with HBOT:
- Acute peripheral arterial insufficiency—can lead to ulcers and other non-healing wounds
- Compromised skin grafts and skin flaps
- Chronic refractory osteomyelitis (persistent bone infection)
- Osteoradionecrosis (bone injury caused by radiation)
- Soft tissue radionecrosis (tissue damage caused by radiation)
- Diabetic wounds of the lower extremities—especially chronic foot ulcers
Chronic diabetic venous and arterial ulcers, particularly diabetic foot ulcers, can ultimately lead to amputation without early diagnosis and effective treatment. The goal of wound care professionals is always to avoid amputation. The health information experts at Health Line provide an excellent high-level definition of these types of lower extremity ulcers:
Arterial ulcers develop as the result of damage to the arteries due to lack of blood flow to tissue. Venous ulcers develop from damage to the veins caused by an insufficient return of blood back to the heart.
Unlike other ulcers, these leg wounds can take months to heal, if they heal at all. Though similar, they require different treatments to ensure proper healing and a speedy recovery.
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy can be one of those referenced early treatments.
So why are early diagnosis and an incisive treatment plan so critical for wound care patients?
Physicians agree that early diagnosis and effective treatment plans are always the preferred one-two punch for any illness or disease. Wound care is no different.
The goal of wound care teams is to prevent infection, increased PAD, hypoxemia, hypocellularity, invasive procedures, surgeries, and ultimately amputation.
We realize that HBOT is most effective in a comprehensive early diagnosis and treatment plan. The plan also has to be dynamic with a meticulous eye on disease response and progression. The wound care product specialists at Wound Source offered some advice in a recent article:
Action plans should not be static; they should be consistently re-evaluated as the patient heals or fails to heal and updated to address the evolving status of the wound. When measuring wound healing outcomes, the key issues to evaluate are whether symptoms have been reduced, goals have been met, wound size has reduced, and the wound bed tissue and periwound or wound edges have improved.
HBOT can be a life-changing treatment for chronic non-healing wounds and foot ulcers. And in many cases, the treatments are CMS and Medicaid approved.
What are the specific benefits of early HBOT treatments for patients with non-healing or chronic wounds?
“We have gotten better at managing patients with chronic wounds at our dedicated wound care clinics and using hyperbaric oxygen therapy to complement the treatment plan. The key is for our patients to not wait but to call us right away if they notice a problem. By going to a wound care clinic, amputation is no longer the first and only choice available to patients.”
Dr. Enoch Huang
Program Medical Director for Legacy Emanuel Medical Center’s Hyperbaric Medicine/Wound Healing Department
With early diagnosis and treatment, we can all make a significant difference in the lives of patients in need of timely, effective wound care management plans. But we’ll need your help to get there.
Is your wound care team fully armed with the most advanced diagnostic and treatment tools available for patients with chronic wounds?
The entire CūtisCare team is dedicated to pursuing exceptional patient outcomes through comprehensive, proactive, cost-effective, compliant HBOT solutions. We provide hospitals, research facilities, clinics, and private practices nationwide with the education, solutions, resources, physician mentoring, and real-world knowledge they need to treat their patients’ chronic wound problems.
Non-healing wound care management and hyperbaric oxygen therapy solutions provide proven treatments designed to:
- Improve your patients’ quality of life
- Reduce infections and tissue necrosis
- Lower amputation rates
Are you in the planning phase of establishing a comprehensive wound care center or perhaps re-evaluating your current wound management practice or program? Would you like to become a recognized wound care center of excellence?
Or do you just have some questions about wound care and Hyperbaric Medicine? Wherever you are in your journey toward wound care excellence, we’d love to share our 25 years of knowledge and experience with you. Get in touch with our team of HBOT thought leaders today.