out the causes that are keeping Mother
Nature from taking care of it.”
Speeding the process
As the only medical facility in Beaufort
specializing in complex and chronic
wounds, the center ofers the most
advanced therapies and comprehensive
treatment for problem lesions.
“We have materials and equipment
that most primary care practices can’t get
or can’t aford,” says Dr. Tober, a vascular
surgeon who also was involved in Porter’s
care. “And we have a diferent mindset
than an ER. Tey ofer acute care. We
provide continuity of care.”
After a thorough examination and
numerous tests, Gordon Krueger, MD, a
general surgeon and medical director of
the center, recommended the 408-pound
Porter have gastric bypass surgery to help
her lose weight and alleviate the pressure
on her legs. Since she had the procedure in
January 2009, she has lost 110 pounds.
Not only did her wound heal, her blood
pressure stabilized and she was able to
reduce the amount of insulin she takes
for diabetes. With her leg mended, she
started exercising at Beaufort Memorial
Hospital’s LifeFit Wellness Center.
“I am so much happier,” Porter says. “It
changed my life. Before the wound was
healed, I couldn’t sing with the church
choir because if I stood too long, my leg
would start bleeding. Now I’m singing
with two choirs, and I can drive again and
go to the Piggly Wiggly.”
We look at the whole picture
Any number of problems can cause non-
healing wounds, including burns, spider
bites, bone necrosis, bed sores, vascular
disease, radiation therapy and trauma.
Some 7 million people in the United
States are living with chronic, nonheal-
ing wounds. People with diabetes are
especially prone to chronic, nonhealing
wounds.
Eddie Harley, a 66-year-old who has
diabetes, ended up at the Wound Care
Center after accidentally burning his foot
with a heating pad. He had fallen asleep
and woke up to fnd the skin on his heel
had burst open. Despite the treatment he
received in the emergency room, the sore
got worse.
“If [the wound] hasn’t cleared up in 30 days...
you need to sort out the causes that are keeping
Mother Nature from taking care of it.”
—Steven Kessel, MD
“It was going bad,” Harley recalls. “I
thought I was going to lose my foot.”
He began an extended treatment
regimen at the Wound Care Center that
included spending two hours a day for
54 days in a hyperbaric oxygen chamber.
Te clear plastic chamber is equipped
with a fat-screen TV and DVD player.
“It wasn’t bad,” Harley says. “I would
watch TV or go to sleep. It was two hours I
spent relaxing.”
About 10 percent of wound care pa-
tients receive the cutting-edge therapy, a
system that delivers high concentrations
of oxygen to the bloodstream, accelerat-
ing the healing process and stimulating
the growth of new blood vessels, which
improves circulation.
Te clinic also sees many patients with
pressure ulcers and venous leg ulcers,
sores that develop after veins in the legs
have been damaged. Debilitating for the
elderly, they can easily become infected
and may become malignant along the
edges.
When patients come into the Wound
Care Center, they undergo an initial evalu-
ation and are typically seen once a week
for eight weeks. Each patient’s wound is
measured and photographed weekly from
the beginning of treatment to completion
to allow physicians to precisely monitor
the healing process.
Treatment can include debridement
(removal of dead skin tissue), skin replace-
ment with bio-engineered grafts, special-
ized dressings, pain medication, nutrition
assessment and diabetes counseling.
Te staf—two general surgeons, a
vascular surgeon, two podiatrists, two
internists, a family practitioner and two
registered nurses—received special-
ized training from Diversifed Clinical
Services, the largest wound care manage-
ment company in the world.
“Everyone was wonderful,” Porter
says. “Tey stayed on top of it and made
sure my home health nurse was provid-
ing proper care. I’d recommend them to
anyone with a chronic wound.”
A team
of experts
working
for you
Physicians practicing
at the Wound Care
Center include:
✓
✓
Gordon Krueger,
MD, general surgeon
✓
✓
J. Chadwick Tober,
MD, vascular surgeon
✓
✓
Tim Pearce, MD,
general surgeon
✓
✓
Steven Kessel, MD,
internal medicine
specialist
✓
✓
Kurt Gambla, DO,
internal medicine
specialist
✓
✓
Jonathan Hutchings,
DO, family medicine
specialist
✓
✓
Trent Statler, DPM,
podiatrist
✓
✓
Michael Edwards,
DPM, podiatrist
Doctor Referral Service: 888-522-5585 • Health Scene
21
More info
Learn more about
Beaufort Memorial Hospital’s
Wound Care Center.
Call
843-522-5300
or visit
www.bmhsc.org
.