Wound Care

Wound care is a complex and sometimes frustrating area of medicine. Studies show that some nine percent of all hospital patients will develop pressure ulcers within the first two weeks of their hospital stay.

If the patient has some neurologic impairment, he or she has an 85 percent lifetime risk of developing a pressure ulcer and, once developed, and eight percent mortality rate.

Increasingly, lawyers are finding lucrative opportunities for lawsuits with up to 28% of nursing home patients having pressure ulcers. These lawsuits result in high settlements against the nursing homes when negligence is found.

Early intervention to halt a growing complication and to reverse setbacks before they become a more serious problem is a very important part of wound care management.

Causes and Treatment of Complex Wounds

There are multiple factors that contribute to poor wound healing. Some are obvious such as trauma or pressure, lack of blood flow, steroids or infection. Others are less obvious such as malnutrition, buildup of bioburden, presence of other wounds or excessive tension. When wounds stall or worsen, all of these factors must be considered. It is only by taking a holistic approach to wound care—one that encompasses dressings, topical medications, nutrition, perfusion, antibiotics and surgery—that the deterioration of complex wounds can be reversed and good healing can be achieved.

Dr. Borncamp takes a holistic approach to surgical wound care. The patient is assessed as a whole, including nutrition, complicating medical illnesses or medications, vascular status, contamination of the wound, possible occult infection such as osteomyelitis, etc. Without addressing these issues, any surgical intervention for wound care is doomed to fail.

Wound Surgery

If surgery is required, Progressive Surgical Associates’ Erik Borncamp, M.D., who also serves as Medical Director for The Wound Center at Silver Cross Hospital, provides a full range of surgical services including acute care surgical principles to treat the septic or rapidly deteriorating patient, excisional debridement of gangrenous eschar, debridement of stalled wounds, removal of bioburden, excision of “rolled” edges to stimulate closure, dressing changes, negative pressure wound therapy (i.e., VAC therapy) and both cadaver and split thickness skin grafts for final wound closure. If a limb is beyond salvage, amputation may be both liberating and life-saving.

To download Dr. Borncamp’s Wound Care brochure click here.
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