Healing That Works Wonders

Healing That Works Wonders
Nancy M. Rager, RN, CLNC, WCC
Director
Trinitas Hospital Wound Healing Center
(originally appeared in the Union County Women’s Journal)

Millions of people in the US endure the pain and debilitation of non-healing wounds. Statistics show that 1.5 million people who are diabetic suffer from such wounds. Another 2.5 million people have pressure ulcers, more commonly known as bed sores.

On the basis of these statistics, it might be interpreted that non-healing wounds are limited to older individuals or those who are strictly bedridden. However, non-healing wounds can also be the result of surgical incisions following procedures such as Cesarean sections, hysterectomies, or hip replacements.

At the Trinitas Hospital Center for Wound Healing & Hyperbaric Medicine, located in Elizabeth, the success rate for treatment of non-healing wounds approaches 98 percent, based on figures collected by Praxis Clinical Services, which provides management services for the development, implementation and operation of wound healing centers throughout the nation. In fact, Praxis Clinical Services designated the Trinitas Hospital Center for Wound Healing & Hyperbaric Medicine its Center of the Year in 2005.

Part of the credit for that distinction can be traced back to the more than 80 years of combined experience in wound healing found on the resumes of the medical and nursing staff at the Trinitas Hospital Center for Wound Healing & Hyperbaric Medicine.

Since 1997, the Center has aggressively treated non-healing wounds. In 2005, more than 5,500 wound visits were logged at the Center where patients can receive the highest level of treatment through such innovations as Vacuum Assisted Closure (VAC), therapy that promotes wound healing by bringing the edges of the wound together. In addition, patients can undergo "dives" in one of three hyperbaric chambers in which an oxygen-enriched environment hastens healing. Several other highly specialized forms of treatment are also available.

Trinitas Hospital Center for Wound Healing and Hyperbaric Medicine success stories are plentiful. An educator in the Newark school system was able to return to her rewarding career in the classroom instead of taking an early retirement. Another patient received treatment that allowed her to attend the wedding of a beloved niece. Both wound treatments were accomplished in record time.

Services and treatments at the Center for Wound Healing and Hyperbaric Medicine have a positive impact on the lives of patients, and medical and nursing staff members are gratified when significant results are achieved. One thing is certain, non-healing wounds don’t discriminate. They can affect anyone, at any age. To ensure that the body can rapidly and successfully heal wounds, a diet containing necessary vitamins and minerals and an avoidance of tobacco are two of the best life style decisions that people can make.