As the 6 million Americans who suffer from chronic, non-healing wounds know, Band-Aids do not fix everything. Instead, some wounds need bariatric wound care in order to heal. Most chronic. Non-healing wounds are the result of complications regarding diabetes or vascular issues, but they can also be surgical wounds, pressure sores, or traumatic wounds.
Dealing with these wounds can be extremely challenging for those who suffer from them as well as their caregivers. Fortunately for those individuals, though, there are many wound care centers that will help with managing and treating their wounds. Here’s what you can expect from a typical wound care procedure –
1. Wound Assessment:
Wound Evaluations –
During your first visit to the wound care center, you should expect that your wound will be evaluated to determine the severity of your wound, your general health, and the best course of action for the most effective healing plan. A typical evaluation involves a blood test and additional special tests to determine information about your blood flow and oxygen flow in and around the wound area. The care provider will also review your medical history for details about your past wounds and medications.
Treatment Programs –
Based on the results from your wound assessment and health evaluation, the doctors will create a treatment program that you will follow. The treatment program typically involves at home care plans for you or your caregiver to follow as well as routine visits to the care center to keep track of your progress and make changes as needed.
Since you are the most important part of ensuring the success of any treatment program, the doctor will likely detail specific instructions for you or your caregiver to follow. These instructions typically detail nutrition plans, dressing/bandage plans, and plans to protect yourself from any further injuries.
Treatment programs also entail plans regarding pain management, diabetic education, medication, and physical therapy. Of course, all of the specifics depend on the particular circumstances of your wound, your body and its health, and the treatment plan.
2. Bariatric Wound Care: Depending on whether you meet certain criteria, you might also be selected as a good candidate for bariatric wound care, or hyperbaric oxygen therapy. It is expected that about 1 out of 5 patients will undergo HBOT treatments.
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy occurs in a chamber with 1.5 to 3 times the normal air pressure where the patient also breathes pure oxygen. HBOT works by feeding the patient’s blood enough oxygen to repair various tissues and cells by the wound as well as restore normal body functions back to working order.
HBOT is a noninvasive and painless treatment that encourages the formation of collagen and new skin cells, strengthens and triggers the body’s natural immune system, prevents hyperfusion injury, and feeds the oxygen-starved blood some oxygen. Of course, there are risks associated with HBOT.
What are the side effects of wound care?
If you undergo HBOT treatments, you should certainly expect your ears to pop in a similar manner to the way they do on air flights. The most common complications associated with HBOT is trauma to the middle ear, which is the section of your ear that includes your ear drums. Some patients also experience complications with their eyes and sinuses.
While most side effects of wound care are not severe, there can be severe complications along with treatments in very rare instances. Although only a few patients, it is possible that you might suffer from oxygen poisoning as a side effect of wound care, which puts you at risk to suffer from lung failure, fluid build-up in the lungs, and seizures among many other problems.
At the end of the day, however, the side effects and risks of bariatric wound care can be significantly lessened by making sure that you do not undergo HBOT treatments if you have recently undergone ear surgeries, suffered from ear trauma, colds, or fevers, or suffered from certain types of lung diseases. Of course, these things will the things you discuss with your doctor and medical provider. Remember, just as any other medical procedure, it is important to understand all the details about your expected treatment.