Wound Care and Hyperbaric Medicine Center

The mission of the Cascade Valley Hospital Wound Care and Hyperbaric Medicine Center is to provide expert, evidence-based medical treatment to patients who suffer from wounds that have failed to heal despite usual medical treatment.

We have been providing world-class wound care services since April 1998. Cascade Valley Hospital is home to the most experienced and nationally awarded wound care center in Snohomish, Skagit, and Whatcom Counties.

A recipient of seven significant awards (including a prestigious 2009 Robert E. Warriner, M.D. Center of Excellence Award) the wound care providers and staff have demonstrated their expertise as one of the best facilities in the United States.

The Hyperbaric Medicine Center uses a proven medical pathway, the latest technology and highly talented staff who specialize in chronic and non-healing wounds. Our patient satisfaction numbers and days to healing have consistently been in the top ten percent of more than 320 wound care centers which are part of the nationwide Diversified Clinical Systems network.

Although our focus is on wounds, we also address overall health issues that affect your ability to heal, and we will work hand-in-hand with your personal primary care provider on these issues. Our team of physicians, advanced nurse practitioners, and nurse case managers all have specialized training in the field of advanced wound care, proper dressing selection and hyperbaric oxygen treatment.

• Diabetic foot ulcers
• Ischemic wounds
• Venous Stasis
• Pressure Ulcers
• Vascular Diseases
• Post Surgical Wounds

We are very thorough and your initial visit may take up to 90 minutes, so please be prepared for the time necessary for your first evaluation. Subsequent visits are not as long and will average between 30 - 40 minutes from the time you enter the treatment room.

During the initial visit a comprehensive medical history will be obtained and a physical examination performed. Of course, particular attention will be given to your wound.

Please bring a list of your current medications, including dosage. If any tests related to the wound have been performed outside of Cascade Valley Hospital, please ask your primary care provider to fax a copy of the results to us for review prior to your appointment.

Depending on your type of wound, other studies may be ordered such as:

• Tests to evaluate venous and/or arterial circulation
• X-Rays and other imaging procedures
• Blood tests
• Cultures

Because we are an outpatient department of Cascade Valley Hospital, many health plans cover wound care treatment. Cascade Valley Hospital and Clinics and the provider of care will bill your insurance company for services. You can expect charges from the facility and from the doctor.

Insurance company or employer specific requirements may be in place and your provider of care may have to be contracted with your insurance coverage. As a matter of routine you should contact your health plan to be sure you understand coverage, referral guidelines, out of pocket expenses, co-pays and deductibles.

Patients with Medicare coverage are permitted to self-refer (you do not need a referral from your doctor) although it is a good idea to work with your primary care office to be sure you keep them aware of your health conditions.

We welcome your calls and are here to answer questions and offer you the support you need to heal. We love and welcome questions. If there is ever any part of your treatment plan that is not clear to you, please ask.

You are the key to success for treatment. Please keep in mind that you will be attending weekly treatment appointments. Random treatments will disrupt your progress. Should you need to cancel an appointment please be sure to reschedule immediately so that your progress can continue. It is important that you follow the treatment plan and keep your appointments.

If you have diabetes, it is essential that your blood sugars be controlled, as poor glucose control can lead to markedly delayed healing of wounds. Also, it is important that you stop smoking, as smoking certainly delays, and in some cases prevents, healing.

Much of your progress will occur because you and the clinical staff will follow directions carefully and watch your wounds closely. You'll learn about caring for your wound at home, including how to change dressings and how to protect yourself from infection and further injuries.

On a regular basis we will send progress notes to your primary care provider so that they are fully informed as to your progress. When treatment is completed your provider will be notified so that they can monitor your health progress over time.

Vital signs and wound measurements.

To assist with healing your wound care physician may prescribe some of these therapies:

• Debridement (removal of dead or damaged tissue)
• Specially chosen dressings and wraps
• Bio-engineered tissue substitutes
• Specialized Dressings
• Multi-Layer Wraps
• Off-loading Boots, Casts, Devices
• Negative pressure Vacuum Therapy
• Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatments

Hyperbaric treatments enhance the body's natural ability to heal itself. Patients are placed in specialized chambers resembling a reclining bed encased in a clear acrylic shell that allow you to inhale 100% oxygen at greater pressure levels than breathing regular air.

In the ambient atmosphere around us, humans normally breathe approximately 20 percent oxygen and 80 percent nitrogen. While in a hyperbaric chamber pressure is increased and you breathe 100% oxygen. The increased pressure and 100 percent oxygen dissolve oxygen in all body cells, tissues and fluids at up to 10 times the normal concentration.

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) is used to treat diabetic leg & foot wounds, chronic bone infections (osteomyelitis), failed skin grafts or flaps, radiation tissue injuries (cystitis, proctitis, osteoradionecrosis), necrotizing infections, gas gangrene, carbon monoxide poisoning, crush injuries and other slow or non-healing wounds.

All treatments are supervised by physicians with specialized training in Hyperbaric Medicine. Most patients receive between 30 and 40 treatments on an outpatient basis. During treatment, the patient reclines in an enclosed chamber and breathes the oxygen for 90 to 110 minutes.

Our chambers also have televisions and are equipped so that you can listen to music, watch television or your favorite DVD. You are in constant contact with the technician through an intercom and many people nap while in the chamber.

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