Imagine you’re walking barefoot in your home and you scrape the side of your foot on a chair leg, breaking the skin. You apply a few drops of antiseptic, perhaps a bandage, and in a day or two you forget it happened.

This scenario is wishful thinking for millions of Americans with diabetes or other chronic conditions that hamper the natural healing process. For many, the scrape does not heal, and it becomes a gaping wound that can be debilitating.

New treatments, new hope
Patients with chronic wound problems have been receiving treatment at Adventist La Grange Memorial Hospital’s Wound Care Center since it opened in September 2008.

Now the Wound Care Center has announced it will install a hyperbaric oxygen treatment chamber that will be ready for use on Dec. 13, adding to the list of its specialized wound care offerings at 1325 Memorial Drive in La Grange.

“It is another arrow in our quiver of providing the latest in wound care treatment,” says Patrick McMahon, the program director of the Wound Care Center.

McMahon explains how this latest technique works for many patients with conditions such as diabetes, when the circulatory system is compromised.

“The air we breathe is 21 percent oxygen, but a hyperbaric oxygen chamber is filled with 100 percent pure oxygen that’s under pressure,” McMahon says. “When the patient breathes in pure oxygen, it increases the circulation of the blood to the wound area. This super-saturation of oxygen in the blood promotes healthy circulation that can flush out infection and essentially bring in healing.”

Comprehensive healing
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy helps heal the wound from the inside out. This therapy can help reduce swelling, fight infection and build new blood vessels, which ultimately produces healthy tissue.

“Being able to install this latest advancement in chronic wound care gives us even more treatment options for our patients, making our center truly comprehensive,” says Dr. Fatima Jaffer, the medical director of the Wound Care Center. “We’re thrilled to be able to offer this highly-specialized treatment here in the community. Our patients don’t have to travel far and they can see their doctor and receive treatment during the same visit.”

An outpatient, hospital-based program, Adventist La Grange Memorial Hospital’s Wound Care Center works in conjunction with the patient’s primary care physician, serving as an adjunctive service for the referring physician and specializing in the treatment of problem wounds.

“We are thrilled to be able to offer this therapy,” McMahon adds. “It’s a testament to the hospital that supports our staff and the patients who need this kind of treatment.”

Earlier this year, Adventist La Grange Memorial Hospital’s Wound Care Center was named a “Center of Distinction” by the nation’s leading wound care management company, Diversified Clinical Service, for demonstrating high patient satisfaction rates, exceptional healing results and outstanding clinical outcomes over the past 12 months.

Open 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., the program operates by appointment. For more information, call (708) 245-6655 or visit www.keepingyouwell.com.