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Long Branch, NJ, June 20, 2011 --- Wound healing should occur naturally. But when it doesn’t, serious complications including infection, gangrene and even loss of a limb can occur. That’s why Monmouth Medical Center offers a comprehensive Wound Treatment Center.
The Wound Treatment Center provides the most comprehensive and compassionate wound care available, and offers advanced clinical approaches to wound management. Whether you are a diabetic, have poor circulation or suffer from a medical condition that affects the natural wound-healing process, the combination of medical expertise and state-of-the-art treatment can get you on the path to better healing.
Plastic and reconstructive surgeon Alan Zaccaria, MD, FACS, medical director of the Wound Treatment Center, leads a team of specialists dedicated to providing compassionate care and the latest treatment options for chronic and non-healing wounds including advanced reconstructive techniques such as skin grafting and flaps.
“Our multi-disciplinary team of wound care specialists is committed to providing the highest quality care and clinical outcomes which consistently prove that with the proper treatment and guidance, most wounds can be healed,” explains Dr. Zaccaria.
The team includes general surgeons, podiatrists, plastic and reconstructive surgeons, infectious disease specialists, vascular surgeons, and highly-skilled, wound-certified registered nurses, occupational and physical therapists.
“All Wound Treatment Center patients will receive a comprehensive evaluation by our team of wound care specialists. During your initial visit, you will undergo a thorough review of your medical history and a physical examination,” explains Dr. Zaccaria. “Based on your evaluation, our team will create an individualized treatment plan which will focus on the underlying conditions which are responsible for they delays in the healing process.”
The growth of healthy tissue depends on numerous factors including personal lifestyle, environment, medical, and nutritional needs. These factors are also evaluated by the Wound Treatment Center team and will provide each patient with recommendations to help optimize their healing potential.
Whether faced with a highly complex wound that requires multi-disciplinary care or a chronic wound, which requires consistent therapy, the Wound Treatment Center at Monmouth is able to help you with the appropriate assessment and treatment necessary, all in one comfortable and convenient location.
Through the Wound Treatment Center, Monmouth Medical Center also offers a Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) program that can be used as an important adjunctive therapy for various conditions and illnesses, including diabetic ulcers and other non-healing wounds, necrosis of soft tissue and bone due to radiation treatments, gas gangrene and more. HBOT is a proven medical treatment that enhances the body’s natural healing while strengthening the immune system.
“Hyperbaric” means higher than atmospheric air pressure. Patients undergoing hyperbaric therapy sit or lie (depending on the wound site) in a fully enclosed chamber in which the air pressure is 2 to 2.5 times that of the air outdoors at sea level. The air is 100 percent oxygen, about five times the oxygen content of ordinary air. Spending 60 to 90 minutes—a typical session—in the chamber can raise blood oxygen content significantly.
“Normal oxygen content is measured at about 90 to 100 millimeters of pressure in the blood,” says Catherine Hanlon, M.D., chairman of the Emergency Department and medical director of Hyperbaric Medicine at Monmouth Medical Center. “If you just breathe pure oxygen through a mask, you can get that up to 200 millimeters. But when you add the extra air pressure, you can drive oxygen content to 1,200 or 1,300 millimeters.”
“As the patient breathes normally, the high pressure atmosphere forces pure oxygen into the bloodstream, increasing blood flow and creating new blood vessels,” Dr. Hanlon says. “This increased oxygen delivery to all tissues improves the ability of the white blood cells to kill bacteria and helps boost the body's own natural healing process.”
Throughout the treatment session, the HBOT technicians are in ongoing contact with each patient, ensuring the highest level of comfort and accommodation. The technicians can view the patient in the chamber, adjust the temperature and help ensure maximum patient comfort throughout the process.
For further information or to schedule an appointment at the Wound Treatment Center at Monmouth Medical Center or for Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy, please call 732-923-6060.
June 20, 2011
CONTACT: Carrie Cristello
Director, Public Relations
Barnabas Health
Southern Region
732-923-6552
ccristello@barnabashealth.org
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