Wound Care Awareness
Dr. McGlone discusses wound healing and how the CGH Wound Healing Center can help with non healing wounds.
Featuring:
Learn more about Thomas McGlone, MD
Thomas McGlone, MD
Thomas McGlone, MD is a CGH General Surgeon and CGH Wound Healing Center Medical Director.Learn more about Thomas McGlone, MD
Transcription:
Scott Webb: For most people cuts and scratches heal within a few weeks, but for some, a simple sore can become a complex medical problem. Without proper treatment, these wounds can hamper your ability to stay active and enjoy your life. In some cases, these wounds can even be debilitating. Today we're going to find out how the CGH wound healing center can help you or a loved one with non healing wounds. Joining me today is Dr. Thomas McGlone, CGH General Surgeon and CGH Wound Healing Center Medical Director. This is The About Your Health podcast from CGH Medical Center. I'm Scott Webb. Dr. McGlone, Thanks so much for joining me today. Let's start here. What is the CGH Wound Healing Center? Tell us all about that.
Dr. McGlone: Our specialized Wound Care Center has been opened in the Sterling location for 12 years and nearly three years in Dixon as well. The CGH Wound Healing Center is available for patients with prolonged wounds that don't heal. Using advanced technologies and clinical therapies, our professional trained team of physicians and staff create a personalized treatment plan to help you return to a better quality of life. The center offers pain management, laboratory evaluation of the wound, surgical de-brief under the wound, education about self care for wounds, while also connecting patients with other departments at CGH Medical Center. We consult with physical therapy and diabetic educators, vascular services, and other physicians to provide comprehensive wound management. In addition to treatment of traditional wounds, the CGH Wound Healing Center also offers hyperbaric oxygen treatment.
Host: And that's what I wanted to talk to you about and I actually had a friend whose daughter went through this and they were able to save her toes through the hyperbaric oxygen therapy. So please tell us about that. Sounds really fascinating.
Dr. McGlone: Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is a treatment that takes place in a single patient, clear walls compression chamber that you can see through the walls of lying on a stretcher inside the chamber. You can watch TV or a movie while undergoing treatment. The chamber is pressurized to pressures similar to those experienced by a scuba diver diving to 30 or 45 feet of depth in the ocean while in the chamber you breathe 100% oxygen under this pressure. Your blood carries the extra oxygen taking it to the injured area. The blood level of oxygen is increased the levels 10 times greater than what can be achieved by just breathing oxygen at sea level pressures. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy can accelerate the wound healing process. It can fight infection, stimulate the growth of new blood vessels, improve circulation, keep deep bone infections or injuries from radiation. And one of our main goals is to reduce amputation rates.
Host: That's so cool. That's why I was mentioning my friend and his daughter's toes and just remarkable really life altering treatment. So who is eligible for wound healing therapy and hyperbaric oxygen treatment? Is everybody eligible for that?
Dr. McGlone: The prevalence of chronic wounds in this country that are about 6.7 million people in the US who have a chronic wound and the incidence of this is rising. That's fueled by an aging population and increasing rates of diseases or conditions such as injuries, diabetes, obesity, and the late effects of radiation therapy. Untreated chronic wounds can lead to diminished quality of life, infection, and possibly even amputation of the infective limb or part.
Host: Yeah, that's really a staggering number. Nearly 7 million people with non healing wounds. So on that note, when should someone be concerned about a wound that isn't healing? What's the normal time here?
Dr. McGlone: Well, anytime that someone has a wound that's not progressing normally or appears to have an infection or is draining more than a minimal amount of fluid, they can make an appointment to have the wound assessed at one of our CGH Wound Healing Centers to see if there is a specialized treatment available for intensive care of that wound and efficient wound healing.
Host: That does seem like it would be a good idea, especially if it's prolonged to get that checked out. So what other services are offered by the CGH Wound Healing Center?
Dr. McGlone: Our Wound Center has taken care of thousands of patients over the past 12 years who've had poorly healing wounds from aggressive soft tissue infections, complications of cardiac bypass surgery, diabetic foot ulcers, venous leg ulcers, pressure ulcers, radiation therapy sites that don't heal, and a great many other types of wounds that are too numerous to mention. The goal of the Wound Care Center is to cooperate with your attending physician to keep you out of the hospital and on the road to complete closure of chronic wounds and to prevent their recurrence.
Host: Yeah, for sure. And what I love about this is the, just the comprehensive and personal care that people get. So Dr. McGlone, anything else we need to tell patients or prospective patients today?
Dr. McGlone: Well, we have a lot of specialized things that we can do within the Wound Center that just can't be done in a regular doctor's office. So we can actually measure directly the amount of oxygen in a wound area, you know, in the area of where the wound is or in the area leading up to where the wound is by a test called transcutaneous oxygen pressure measurement. It's a much more precise than just measuring the blood pressure in the wound. We also use some ultrasonic devices to clean and debris wounds that just aren't available in the average physician's office or even in a vascular surgery office.
Host: It's really cool that you're able to keep up with all of this. I, you probably think about back when you started, you know, became a doctor to where the technology is today. Measuring the oxygen at a wound site is, it's just amazing, isn't it?
Dr. McGlone: It's quite a breakthrough. It's a big difference in how we treated wounds 40 years ago versus now.
Host: Well, Dr. McGlone, thank you so much for your time today. Really appreciate it. For more information, visit CGHmc.com/wound or call (815) 564-4002 to schedule an appointment in Sterling or Dixon. This podcast is intended for educational and informational purposes only. Please consult with your healthcare professionals for specific recommendations about your health. Thanks. We'll talk again next time.
Scott Webb: For most people cuts and scratches heal within a few weeks, but for some, a simple sore can become a complex medical problem. Without proper treatment, these wounds can hamper your ability to stay active and enjoy your life. In some cases, these wounds can even be debilitating. Today we're going to find out how the CGH wound healing center can help you or a loved one with non healing wounds. Joining me today is Dr. Thomas McGlone, CGH General Surgeon and CGH Wound Healing Center Medical Director. This is The About Your Health podcast from CGH Medical Center. I'm Scott Webb. Dr. McGlone, Thanks so much for joining me today. Let's start here. What is the CGH Wound Healing Center? Tell us all about that.
Dr. McGlone: Our specialized Wound Care Center has been opened in the Sterling location for 12 years and nearly three years in Dixon as well. The CGH Wound Healing Center is available for patients with prolonged wounds that don't heal. Using advanced technologies and clinical therapies, our professional trained team of physicians and staff create a personalized treatment plan to help you return to a better quality of life. The center offers pain management, laboratory evaluation of the wound, surgical de-brief under the wound, education about self care for wounds, while also connecting patients with other departments at CGH Medical Center. We consult with physical therapy and diabetic educators, vascular services, and other physicians to provide comprehensive wound management. In addition to treatment of traditional wounds, the CGH Wound Healing Center also offers hyperbaric oxygen treatment.
Host: And that's what I wanted to talk to you about and I actually had a friend whose daughter went through this and they were able to save her toes through the hyperbaric oxygen therapy. So please tell us about that. Sounds really fascinating.
Dr. McGlone: Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is a treatment that takes place in a single patient, clear walls compression chamber that you can see through the walls of lying on a stretcher inside the chamber. You can watch TV or a movie while undergoing treatment. The chamber is pressurized to pressures similar to those experienced by a scuba diver diving to 30 or 45 feet of depth in the ocean while in the chamber you breathe 100% oxygen under this pressure. Your blood carries the extra oxygen taking it to the injured area. The blood level of oxygen is increased the levels 10 times greater than what can be achieved by just breathing oxygen at sea level pressures. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy can accelerate the wound healing process. It can fight infection, stimulate the growth of new blood vessels, improve circulation, keep deep bone infections or injuries from radiation. And one of our main goals is to reduce amputation rates.
Host: That's so cool. That's why I was mentioning my friend and his daughter's toes and just remarkable really life altering treatment. So who is eligible for wound healing therapy and hyperbaric oxygen treatment? Is everybody eligible for that?
Dr. McGlone: The prevalence of chronic wounds in this country that are about 6.7 million people in the US who have a chronic wound and the incidence of this is rising. That's fueled by an aging population and increasing rates of diseases or conditions such as injuries, diabetes, obesity, and the late effects of radiation therapy. Untreated chronic wounds can lead to diminished quality of life, infection, and possibly even amputation of the infective limb or part.
Host: Yeah, that's really a staggering number. Nearly 7 million people with non healing wounds. So on that note, when should someone be concerned about a wound that isn't healing? What's the normal time here?
Dr. McGlone: Well, anytime that someone has a wound that's not progressing normally or appears to have an infection or is draining more than a minimal amount of fluid, they can make an appointment to have the wound assessed at one of our CGH Wound Healing Centers to see if there is a specialized treatment available for intensive care of that wound and efficient wound healing.
Host: That does seem like it would be a good idea, especially if it's prolonged to get that checked out. So what other services are offered by the CGH Wound Healing Center?
Dr. McGlone: Our Wound Center has taken care of thousands of patients over the past 12 years who've had poorly healing wounds from aggressive soft tissue infections, complications of cardiac bypass surgery, diabetic foot ulcers, venous leg ulcers, pressure ulcers, radiation therapy sites that don't heal, and a great many other types of wounds that are too numerous to mention. The goal of the Wound Care Center is to cooperate with your attending physician to keep you out of the hospital and on the road to complete closure of chronic wounds and to prevent their recurrence.
Host: Yeah, for sure. And what I love about this is the, just the comprehensive and personal care that people get. So Dr. McGlone, anything else we need to tell patients or prospective patients today?
Dr. McGlone: Well, we have a lot of specialized things that we can do within the Wound Center that just can't be done in a regular doctor's office. So we can actually measure directly the amount of oxygen in a wound area, you know, in the area of where the wound is or in the area leading up to where the wound is by a test called transcutaneous oxygen pressure measurement. It's a much more precise than just measuring the blood pressure in the wound. We also use some ultrasonic devices to clean and debris wounds that just aren't available in the average physician's office or even in a vascular surgery office.
Host: It's really cool that you're able to keep up with all of this. I, you probably think about back when you started, you know, became a doctor to where the technology is today. Measuring the oxygen at a wound site is, it's just amazing, isn't it?
Dr. McGlone: It's quite a breakthrough. It's a big difference in how we treated wounds 40 years ago versus now.
Host: Well, Dr. McGlone, thank you so much for your time today. Really appreciate it. For more information, visit CGHmc.com/wound or call (815) 564-4002 to schedule an appointment in Sterling or Dixon. This podcast is intended for educational and informational purposes only. Please consult with your healthcare professionals for specific recommendations about your health. Thanks. We'll talk again next time.