ECHN Center for Wound Healing

Wounds that do not heal can keep you from the activities you enjoy. That's why the caring professionals at The ECHN Center for Wound Healing at Manchester Memorial Hospital can help. The Center for Wound Healing offers a progressive approach to traditional wound healing. Every patient is evaluated, and an individualized treatment plan is developed just for you.

Every wound has its unique set of circumstances. The Center for Wound Healing is equipped and staffed to address them all, with most treatments covered by Medicare/Medicaid, HMOs and other private insurance plans. We are experts at caring for people whose wounds and ulcers have resisted traditional treatment with a success rate of 85% healed in 12-16 weeks. Our partner, National Healing Corporation, is one of the most comprehensive wound healing companies in the nation. National Healing Corporation, in partnership with Ohio State University, operates the largest research institute dedicated solely to the healing of wounds.

Our Philosophy

A wound that is slow to heal is almost always a symptom of an underlying health problem. We seek out the cause of your wound and work with you on approaches and treatment plans to fix this underlying problem. While healing the wound is very important, we are just as committed to eliminating its cause. In this way, we can help you avoid future wounds.

How Can We Help You?

We can help with the following types of wounds and conditions:

• Diabetic foot ulcers
• Severe infections, including post-operative infections
• Pressure ulcers, also known as bed sores
• Burns, including radiation burns
• Slow-to-heal wounds
• Wounds due to poor circulation
• Snake, spider or insect bites
• Failing skin grafts
• Plastic surgery recovery

If you have a wound, we encourage you to call us for a wound evaluation. When you come to our office, you will meet our specially trained physicians and wound care nurses who can view your wound and provide information about treatment approaches and expectations.

Be a part of our team approach to Wound Healing:

Our team includes:

• Physicians and surgeons who specialize in treating wounds
  Clinical Nurse Manager
• Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBO) technicians
• Nurse Case Mangers
• Wound Care Nurses
• And most important, YOU
  

Each patient will meet with our healthcare team approximately once a week until their wound is significantly healing. This allows close observation and treatment of the wound and its cause. Once your wound is healed, we make sure that you understand how to prevent wounds from recurring.

Your treatment may include a combination of:

• Education
• Infection control
• Nutrition evaluation
• Pain management
• Special Wound Dressings and Wraps
• Pressure relief
• Prevention management
• Hyperbaric oxygen therapy
• Debridement of dead or damaged tissue
• Bio-engineered tissue substitutes
• X-Ray, CT SCAN, MRI, Vascular Studies and Laboratory Tests
  

What is hyperbaric oxygen therapy?

HBO is a specialized treatment modality that our physicians utilize for very specific types of wounds.

Breathing 100% oxygen at increased atmospheric pressure is a painless, proven way to help the body heal. Hyperbaric oxygen chambers work by surrounding the patient with 100 % oxygen at higher than normal atmospheric pressure in sessions that last 90 minutes to two hours. This increases the amount of oxygen in the patient's blood allowing red blood cells to pass more easily through the plasma into the wounds to heal them from the inside out. Introduced in the mid-'60s, HBO chambers have evolved to treat patients suffering from diabetic ulcers, pressure ulcers, infections, compromised skin grafts and flaps, and wounds that haven't healed within 30 days.

Weighing more than one ton each, the HBO chambers resemble a reclining bed encased in a clear acrylic shell nearly a yard in diameter. Patients can listen to music or watch televisions players mounted above the chamber while remaining in constant contact with those outside the chamber through an intercom and private handset. The only physical sensation resulting from the treatment is a slight pressure on the eardrum, such as that felt when a plane lands, as the air in the chamber is compressed.

The Center for Wound Healing is located on the 1^st floor of the hospital in Ambulatory Services Building. We encourage all of our patients to utilize the free valet parking on the Guard Street entrance. Come in through the revolving do and check in with the receptionist.

We are open Monday - Friday 8:00 am to 4:30 pm.

For more information or to schedule an appointment, call The Center for Wound Healing at (860) 533-2903 or e-mail Denise Dowd, Program Director, at ddowd@echn.org.