Cleveland Regional Medical Center to offer county’s only
hyperbaric oxygen treatment

SHELBY – Advanced hyperbaric oxygen therapy will be available in June in Cleveland County thanks to the new Wound Healing Center at Cleveland Regional Medical Center. The center, located on the third floor of the Grover Building, will specialize in the treatment of problem wounds, a growing problem spurred by the aging of America and the increase in diabetes. Approximately 18.5 million Americans have diabetes, and of that population about 1.8 million will suffer from a problem wound.

The Wound Healing Center is an outpatient, hospital-based program that works with the patient's primary care physician, specializing in the treatment of problem wounds. The program operates by appointment only and requires a referral from the primary care physician.

Andrew Taylor, MD, a vascular surgeon at Cleveland Regional Medical Center, will serve as the Medical Director of the program. Dr. Taylor will be assisted by a team of experienced wound care physicians, surgeons and staff members. Each physician will coordinate an overall care plan for the patient, working in partnership with the patient's referring physician.

“I think it’s going to be wonderful for patients in this area to have access to a dedicated wound care center,” Dr. Taylor said. “The goal is to speed wound healing and get patients back on their feet.”

The center will feature state-of-the-art hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT), a treatment in which the patient breathes 100 percent oxygen inside a pressurized chamber. HBOT quickly delivers high concentrations of oxygen to the bloodstream and assists in the healing process of wounds. It is also effective in fighting certain types of infections, stimulates the growth of new blood vessels and improves circulation.

“This is a new therapy for our part of the state, and it’s proven to greatly speed wound healing,” Dr. Taylor said. “Since open wounds increase the risk of secondary problems such as infections and other ailments, prompt wound healing is important.”

HBOT is also used to treat crush injuries, osteomyelitis, skin grafts and flaps, brown recluse spider bites and diabetic wounds of the lower extremity.

“Our community has a growing need for a wound healing center, and we are committed to providing our community this much needed service,” said Liz Popwell, Chief Ancillary Executive at Cleveland Regional. “We want our wound care program to be a center of excellence in the community. To accomplish this, we have partnered with a nationally known wound care company, Diversified Clinical Services. Diversified is a market leader in the clinical treatment of chronic wounds and the use of hyperbaric oxygen therapy. This partnership along with the leadership of our Medical Director, Dr Taylor will ensure the highest quality care and excellent service for the patients in our area that have problem wounds. ”

Program Director Randy Wieck said the center won’t focus just on the clinical. “Patient care will instead take a whole-body approach to wound healing to involve nutritional assessment and counseling, diabetic education, patient and caregiver counseling, pain management and pressure relief,” he said. “First and foremost, though, our wound center physicians will be working closely with referring physicians who will continue to provide the patient’s overall care and treat any underlying disease.”

The Wound Healing Center is geared toward helping any patient with a wound that has not begun to heal in two weeks or has not completely healed in six weeks. There are many different types of wounds. Some are associated with complications from diabetes and other related vascular disorders. Other types include pressure sores and traumatic wounds.

“It can be very frustrating and time consuming for the patient and their physicians to heal these wounds,” Wieck said. “But we can help deal with the frustration by using the most up-to-date approaches to wound healing and new scientific advances in wound care.”

Some chronic non-healing wounds can be pressure ulcers, diabetic ulcers, neuropathic ulcers, ischemic ulcers, venous insufficiency, traumatic wounds, surgical wounds, vasculitis, burns, peristomal skin irritations and others.

For more information on the new Wound Healing Center, please call (980) 487-3400 or 877-340-HEAL (4325).