At Central Coast Wound Care and Hyperbarics, our caring, experienced team provides a variety of wound care treatments to help you heal as quickly and effectively as possible. Whether you have a wound that won’t heal, a surgical incision that has become infected, wounds from diabetic complications, or a variety of other conditions, our wound care specialists can help you.

• Diabetic Wound Care
• Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy
• Debridement
• Radiation Injury and Tissue Damage Care
• Surgical Wound and Incision Care
• Skin Grafts and Flaps

 

Diabetic Wound Care

Of the 15 percent of diabetic patients who suffer from diabetic foot ulcers, nearly half are hospitalized due to severe complications, and nearly 25% must undergo amputation. Diabetes interrupts the body’s natural and efficient healing process. The imbalanced blood glucose levels associated with diabetes essentially strangle bacteria-fighting white blood cells ability to ward off infection which can root and spread throughout any wound. Diabetes also causes poor circulation, which exacerbates the problem because strong circulation is needed for red blood cells to deliver nutrients to the wound to heal properly. Additionally, diabetes causes nerve damage which means that you might not be able to feel or sense the infected, slow-healing wound on your body.

We provide safe and natural alternative treatments — including Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy –to stimulate your body’s innate healing process and address the different ways that diabetes automatically suppresses your immune system. Call us or click here to schedule a consultation.

 

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT)

HBOT is a painless, FDA-approved treatment for expediting wound healing. Recognized by the American Medical Association, it offers a safe, natural, and efficient medical therapy for non-healing wounds and other conditions that resist standard treatments. HBOT makes it possible to deliver the concentrated oxygen needed to enhance the body’s natural healing process by breathing in 100% pure oxygen in a pressurized hyperbaric oxygen chamber. While comfortably inside the special hyperbaric chamber, this therapy helps oxygen dissolve directly into the plasma of the blood so that it can thoroughly permeate areas where circulation has become reduced or blocked. This essential benefit of hyperbaric wound care stimulates skin cell growth and supports the body’s own healing process. When white blood cells receive enough oxygen, they can effectively kill bacteria, reduce swelling, and allow the rapid reproduction of new blood vessels. HBOT even enables cells to build new connective tissue and improve organ function.

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy: What to Expect

CCWC provides state-of-the-art equipment, skilled wound care specialists, and a comfortable atmosphere. You’ll receive HBOT in a private setting with the latest hyperbaric technology. Your treatment will take place in a clear acrylic chamber where you comfortably recline and can view your surroundings at all times. You’ll be able to hear and speak to your wound care specialist team, who will be monitoring you throughout the procedure.

Once you’re in the chamber, we will gradually increase the atmospheric pressure and oxygen level. The treatment is painless, although you may experience a sensation of pressure in your ears, very similar to the sensation you feel in an airplane while descending. During your treatment, which lasts about one and a half to two hours, you can sleep, watch TV, listen to music or just relax.

 

Debridement

Debridement is the removal of dead (necrotic) tissue from a chronic wound to help it heal properly. Necrotic tissue at the wound site keeps healthy tissue from developing and increases the risk of infection. The dead tissue must be removed to create a clean, healthy wound bed that can heal effectively.

Active debridement is the manual removal of necrotic material with scalpel and forceps or with surgical scissors. Because the nerves in the dead tissue are not functioning, the debridement procedure may be relatively painless. However, topical painkillers, such as lidocaine, when applied before the procedure, can control discomfort.

Autolytic debridement removes dead tissue by encouraging the body’s ability to naturally slough off the necrotic material. This is achieved by applying hydrocolloids or hydrogels, substances that keep the wound moist and encourage dead tissue to detach naturally.

Call us or click here to schedule a consultation.

 

Radiation Injury and Tissue Damage Care

Intense and invasive radiation treatment can cause long-lasting side effects and complications like burns and tissue damage. In fact, about 85% of radiation patients experience moderate-to-severe burns during after treatment. Radiation triggers vascular changes that deprive the cells in your body of the essential oxygen they need to function and thrive. This oxygen deprivation plays a role in the development of delayed radiation injuries.

We provide state-of-the-art treatments — including Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy – that minimize, and even reverse radiation burn and tissue damage. Call us or click here to schedule a consultation.

 

Surgical Wound and Incision Care

A surgical wound is any type of incision made through the skin and soft tissue during surgery. Most surgical wounds are easily closed with sutures, also known as stitches, to support the skin’s natural healing process. Surgical wounds also develop when a drain is placed to collect fluid from the surgical area. This is done to remove fluid or air and prevent accumulation.

Some surgical wounds and incisions heal quickly, but it’s possible for sutures to tear and allow incisions to re-open. This may occur if any of the following complications threaten the wound healing process like infection, poor tissue structure, compromised circulation, or stress on the wound. Since open surgical wounds are vulnerable to serious infection, especially if located near bone, timely surgical wound infection care is essential. If a surgical wound fails to heal after about four weeks, it may be considered a non-healing surgical wound or chronic wound.

We provide a wide range of surgical wound care and incision healing options to help patients recover from injury and trauma as efficiently as possible. Call us or click here to schedule a consultation.

 

Skin Grafts and Flaps

Skin grafts are often used to treat skin loss from infection, burns, venous and arterial insufficiency ulcers, pressure ulcers, diabetic ulcers, and very large wounds. Skin grafts are performed by taking healthy skin from one area on the body and transplanted or attached, to another. A skin flap serves the same purpose as a skin graft, but it’s created using a nearby piece of skin that’s still attached to the body. In other words, a skin flap maintains its original blood supply and is never completely removed, only rearranged.

Although skin graft healing has a high success rate with proper aftercare, some grafts may become compromised if they don’t receive enough oxygen and blood flow. These insufficiencies are caused by a number of factors including tissue damage from radiation, diabetic complications, or infections. Skin grafts may also be compromised due to the formation of a hematoma or seroma near the graft. Without rapid treatment, an unhealthy skin graft will ultimately die and need to be replaced.

We provide safe and natural alternative treatments — including Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy –to stimulate your body’s innate healing process and address the different ways that diabetes automatically suppresses your immune system. Call us or click here to schedule a consultation.