If a non-healing wound has you missing the best parts of life, the Center for Wound Healing and Hyperbaric Medicine at Texoma Medical Center may have the help you need.
The TMC Center for Wound Healing and Hyperbaric Medicine offers the most advanced wound care therapies and is recognized as a Robert A. Warriner, III, MD Center of Excellence and a Center of Distinction by Healogics™. These designations recognize a high level of commitment towards wound healing rates, patient satisfaction and other quality outcomes.
In this segement, Dr. Brock Lutz, Medical Director for TMC's Center for Wound Care and Hyperbaric Medicine, discusses care for non healing wounds and how Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy can help speed the healing.
Help for Non-Healing Wounds
Featured Speaker:
Brock Lutz, MD
Brock Lutz, MD is the Medical Director for TMC’s Center for Wound Care and Hyperbaric Medicine. Transcription:
Help for Non-Healing Wounds
Melanie Cole (Host): If a non-healing wound has you missing the best parts of life, the Center for Wound Healing and Hyperbaric Medicine at Texoma Medical Center may have the help you need. My guest today is Dr. Brock Lutz. He's the medical director for TMC's Center for Wound Care and Hyperbaric Medicine. Welcome to the show, Dr. Lutz. What are some non-healing wounds? What causes those, and what are some of the most common areas that you see these types of wounds in?
Dr. Brock Lutz (Guest): Good morning. Thank you for having me. Wound Healing Center is designed to take care of patients that have chronic wounds. These wounds are mostly associated with diabetes or chronic arterial or venous disease, but they can also be associated with traumatic injury, burns, or other sorts of non-healing wounds.
Melanie: Who is at risk for non-healing wounds?
Dr. Lutz: Everyone is at risk. Mostly, we see patients when they have problems with some underlying illness like diabetes or heart disease, chronic arterial sclerosis. They also have problems with nutrition or an acute illness where their body becomes at risk due to just the scale of the illness that they’ve been exposed to.
Melanie: So, Dr. Lutz, if somebody's got a wound on their foot, on their legs, somewhere on their body, how long should they keep an eye on that wound, and what should they be looking for to say, well, this thing is not getting any better; it's not healing properly?
Dr. Lutz: Most of our patients have had a wound in place for longer than three weeks. I think that most people can identify the easy problems so that heal quickly and recognize when things aren't going the way that they should. We look for signs of infection, drainage, increased pain. We look for any problem where the wound doesn’t seem to be getting better. Oftentimes, these wounds will be closed primarily by surgery and open, or they can be recurrent when these wounds develop over and over again and don't seem to get well.
Melanie: So, there's a burgeoning type of therapy, hyperbaric oxygen therapy or HBOT. Dr. Lutz, tell the listeners about what HBOT is, and what it's like if somebody is going in for treatments?
Dr. Lutz: Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is a treatment that's designed to place the patient in an environment of 100% oxygen. Then we change the atmospheric pressure from 1 atmosphere where we all live to 2 atmospheres, and by doing so we can dramatically increase the amount of oxygen that the blood can carry. This creates a completely different environment at the wound site. It decreases inflammation; it kills bacteria. It encourages the growth of new tissue and new blood vessels, and it speeds the healing of chronic wounds, especially those associated with diabetes, with problems with blood flow.
The treatment is done inside of a chamber, which is a clear type of Plexiglas. The patient's entire body is placed inside the chamber, and the chamber's filled with 100% oxygen. Most people during their treatments feel better. They just generally feel better. Most people sleep. They can also watch television, but the treatments last about an hour and a half, and they're done every day.
Melanie: For how long every day?
Dr. Lutz: It takes about an hour and a half to do a treatment, and we'll treat them every day, Monday through Friday for usually about four to eight weeks.
Melanie: About four to eight weeks. Do people ever feel claustrophobic in the chamber?
Dr. Lutz: Of course. There are some -- a lot of people who have some problems with confinement anxiety, but there are a lot of things that we do in order to make sure that those are not a problem for the patient. The chamber itself is completely see-through. You can completely see out, and the technician is right there at the bedside allowing them to talk back and forth. We can also use medications to help people that have problems with anxiety.
Melanie: So what would you like the technician -- what do they need to know from the patient prior to HBOT therapy?
Dr. Lutz: Hyperbaric oxygen is delivered by a specially-trained bedside technician. These patients are interviewed by the physician, and we do an extensive medical background and examination in order to make sure that they're good candidates for hyperbaric oxygen therapy, and then we introduce them to it and educate them about what we're going to do and show them the chambers and everything. We do that before begin any treatments. The patients are examined every day before they begin their treatment, and they interact with the technician throughout the entire treatment to help them to clear their ears and to handle any discomfort or complaints that they might have during the treatment.
Melanie: Are there some people who might not be eligible for this type of therapy?
Dr. Lutz: There are specific indications for the use of hyperbaric oxygen therapy. Most of them are associated with blood flow issues -- problems with circulation, diabetes, burns. Also, patients that have significant other chronic illnesses or acute illnesses, problems with hearing, problems with vision, or problems with traumatic injury, like crush injuries and things like that.
Melanie: Dr. Lutz, as long as we've got you on, and we're talking about wounds, give the listeners some information about treating a wound if they've got one and clear up the myth. Should it be moist and covered? Should it be open and dry? If they've got a wound that they are caring for, what do you want them to know about caring for that wound?
Dr. Lutz: Wounds have to be kept clean, and soap and water works great. There isn't any magic about exposing wounds to air. In general, we like to maintain a moist healing environment -- not too wet and not allowing the wound to dry out. Chronic wounds are significantly different than acute wounds, and there's not a problem with allowing a scab to form on an acute wound, but in chronic wounds, the crusting that develops when you expose wounds to air and allow them to dry out, just causes cracking and tearing of the newly developing skin, so we like to have wounds dressed. They are usually dressed daily and washed with soap and water, and those dressings are designed to keep a moist, healing environment, and if there's drainage, then it needs to be captured inside of the bandage.
Melanie: In just the last few minutes, Dr. Lutz, what should people with non-healing wounds notice? What would you like them to think about and watch out for?
Dr. Lutz: People that have non-healing wounds need to be sure to maintain a good nutrition. They need to make sure that they are getting enough protein in their diet. They need to make sure that the wound stays clean, that it's washed with soap and water in order to allow for the prevention of infection. We don't usually advocate the use of topical treatments like alcohol or hydrogen peroxide. Soap and water works great. Patients who have chronic wounds or acute wounds need to look for signs of increasing pain, increasing drainage, signs that the wound isn't getting better as it normally should and give their doctor a call in order to make sure that those are examined so that they can be referred to a specialized care facility.
Melanie: And why should they come to Texoma Medical Center for their care?
Dr. Lutz: The Wound Healing Center at TMC is a specialized facility designed to take care of patients with acute and chronic wounds. We bring specialized training together with a specialized approach that allows the use of therapies like advanced bioengineered skin grafting, hyperbaric oxygen therapy, advanced types of dressings in order to heal wounds more quickly. We also bring together the patient's primary care physician and any specialized referrals like vascular surgery, plastic surgery; those patients who need those advanced cares in order to have their chronic wounds resolve.
Melanie: Thank you so much for being with us today. It's great information. You're listening to TMC Health Talk with Texoma Medical Center. For more information, you can go to texomamedicalcenter.net. That's texomamedicalcenter.net. Physicians are independent practitioners who are not employees or agents of Texoma Medical Center. The hospital shall not be liable for actions or treatments provided by physicians. This is Melanie Cole. Thanks so much for listening.
Help for Non-Healing Wounds
Melanie Cole (Host): If a non-healing wound has you missing the best parts of life, the Center for Wound Healing and Hyperbaric Medicine at Texoma Medical Center may have the help you need. My guest today is Dr. Brock Lutz. He's the medical director for TMC's Center for Wound Care and Hyperbaric Medicine. Welcome to the show, Dr. Lutz. What are some non-healing wounds? What causes those, and what are some of the most common areas that you see these types of wounds in?
Dr. Brock Lutz (Guest): Good morning. Thank you for having me. Wound Healing Center is designed to take care of patients that have chronic wounds. These wounds are mostly associated with diabetes or chronic arterial or venous disease, but they can also be associated with traumatic injury, burns, or other sorts of non-healing wounds.
Melanie: Who is at risk for non-healing wounds?
Dr. Lutz: Everyone is at risk. Mostly, we see patients when they have problems with some underlying illness like diabetes or heart disease, chronic arterial sclerosis. They also have problems with nutrition or an acute illness where their body becomes at risk due to just the scale of the illness that they’ve been exposed to.
Melanie: So, Dr. Lutz, if somebody's got a wound on their foot, on their legs, somewhere on their body, how long should they keep an eye on that wound, and what should they be looking for to say, well, this thing is not getting any better; it's not healing properly?
Dr. Lutz: Most of our patients have had a wound in place for longer than three weeks. I think that most people can identify the easy problems so that heal quickly and recognize when things aren't going the way that they should. We look for signs of infection, drainage, increased pain. We look for any problem where the wound doesn’t seem to be getting better. Oftentimes, these wounds will be closed primarily by surgery and open, or they can be recurrent when these wounds develop over and over again and don't seem to get well.
Melanie: So, there's a burgeoning type of therapy, hyperbaric oxygen therapy or HBOT. Dr. Lutz, tell the listeners about what HBOT is, and what it's like if somebody is going in for treatments?
Dr. Lutz: Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is a treatment that's designed to place the patient in an environment of 100% oxygen. Then we change the atmospheric pressure from 1 atmosphere where we all live to 2 atmospheres, and by doing so we can dramatically increase the amount of oxygen that the blood can carry. This creates a completely different environment at the wound site. It decreases inflammation; it kills bacteria. It encourages the growth of new tissue and new blood vessels, and it speeds the healing of chronic wounds, especially those associated with diabetes, with problems with blood flow.
The treatment is done inside of a chamber, which is a clear type of Plexiglas. The patient's entire body is placed inside the chamber, and the chamber's filled with 100% oxygen. Most people during their treatments feel better. They just generally feel better. Most people sleep. They can also watch television, but the treatments last about an hour and a half, and they're done every day.
Melanie: For how long every day?
Dr. Lutz: It takes about an hour and a half to do a treatment, and we'll treat them every day, Monday through Friday for usually about four to eight weeks.
Melanie: About four to eight weeks. Do people ever feel claustrophobic in the chamber?
Dr. Lutz: Of course. There are some -- a lot of people who have some problems with confinement anxiety, but there are a lot of things that we do in order to make sure that those are not a problem for the patient. The chamber itself is completely see-through. You can completely see out, and the technician is right there at the bedside allowing them to talk back and forth. We can also use medications to help people that have problems with anxiety.
Melanie: So what would you like the technician -- what do they need to know from the patient prior to HBOT therapy?
Dr. Lutz: Hyperbaric oxygen is delivered by a specially-trained bedside technician. These patients are interviewed by the physician, and we do an extensive medical background and examination in order to make sure that they're good candidates for hyperbaric oxygen therapy, and then we introduce them to it and educate them about what we're going to do and show them the chambers and everything. We do that before begin any treatments. The patients are examined every day before they begin their treatment, and they interact with the technician throughout the entire treatment to help them to clear their ears and to handle any discomfort or complaints that they might have during the treatment.
Melanie: Are there some people who might not be eligible for this type of therapy?
Dr. Lutz: There are specific indications for the use of hyperbaric oxygen therapy. Most of them are associated with blood flow issues -- problems with circulation, diabetes, burns. Also, patients that have significant other chronic illnesses or acute illnesses, problems with hearing, problems with vision, or problems with traumatic injury, like crush injuries and things like that.
Melanie: Dr. Lutz, as long as we've got you on, and we're talking about wounds, give the listeners some information about treating a wound if they've got one and clear up the myth. Should it be moist and covered? Should it be open and dry? If they've got a wound that they are caring for, what do you want them to know about caring for that wound?
Dr. Lutz: Wounds have to be kept clean, and soap and water works great. There isn't any magic about exposing wounds to air. In general, we like to maintain a moist healing environment -- not too wet and not allowing the wound to dry out. Chronic wounds are significantly different than acute wounds, and there's not a problem with allowing a scab to form on an acute wound, but in chronic wounds, the crusting that develops when you expose wounds to air and allow them to dry out, just causes cracking and tearing of the newly developing skin, so we like to have wounds dressed. They are usually dressed daily and washed with soap and water, and those dressings are designed to keep a moist, healing environment, and if there's drainage, then it needs to be captured inside of the bandage.
Melanie: In just the last few minutes, Dr. Lutz, what should people with non-healing wounds notice? What would you like them to think about and watch out for?
Dr. Lutz: People that have non-healing wounds need to be sure to maintain a good nutrition. They need to make sure that they are getting enough protein in their diet. They need to make sure that the wound stays clean, that it's washed with soap and water in order to allow for the prevention of infection. We don't usually advocate the use of topical treatments like alcohol or hydrogen peroxide. Soap and water works great. Patients who have chronic wounds or acute wounds need to look for signs of increasing pain, increasing drainage, signs that the wound isn't getting better as it normally should and give their doctor a call in order to make sure that those are examined so that they can be referred to a specialized care facility.
Melanie: And why should they come to Texoma Medical Center for their care?
Dr. Lutz: The Wound Healing Center at TMC is a specialized facility designed to take care of patients with acute and chronic wounds. We bring specialized training together with a specialized approach that allows the use of therapies like advanced bioengineered skin grafting, hyperbaric oxygen therapy, advanced types of dressings in order to heal wounds more quickly. We also bring together the patient's primary care physician and any specialized referrals like vascular surgery, plastic surgery; those patients who need those advanced cares in order to have their chronic wounds resolve.
Melanie: Thank you so much for being with us today. It's great information. You're listening to TMC Health Talk with Texoma Medical Center. For more information, you can go to texomamedicalcenter.net. That's texomamedicalcenter.net. Physicians are independent practitioners who are not employees or agents of Texoma Medical Center. The hospital shall not be liable for actions or treatments provided by physicians. This is Melanie Cole. Thanks so much for listening.