Southeast Georgia Health System
(HBOT), which works by surrounding the patient with 100 percent oxygen to help progress the healing of the wound.
“Southeast Georgia System’s outpatient Wound Care Centers offer specialized care for all types of chronic and slow-healing wounds.” Approximately 30 percent of Wound Care Center patients qualify for HBOT treatments. Patients who qualify for, and have the medical clearance to undergo HBOT, are prescribed 90-minute treatments in a pressurized chamber to highly saturate the body with oxygen and help the body better heal itself. Typically, patients undergo a series of 40 HBOT treatments.
Meredith Reilly, director of the Wound Care Centers, says the process of bringing the HBOT chamber to 2.5 atmospheres of pressure for treatment, or the equivalent of 64 feet of water pressure, is “similar to what it feels when scuba diving.” However, there’s no water involved. Patients are in an enclosed, clear chamber, and staff are able to communicate with them throughout their treatment. The HBOT chambers are also equipped with a television. Eric Segerberg, MD, general surgeon and medical director of the Wound Care Center says many people often mistake HBOT as a terminal treatment option. “HBOT is not a last resort,” he explains. “Rather, it is the primary driver of angiogenesis or the growth and development of new blood vessels that deliver oxygen to the wound.” HBOT is also an effective treatment for radiation injuries and inflammation as a result of cancer treatments. This includes damage to the head and neck tissues, as well as the bladder, rectum and bone. HBOT helps relieve these secondary side effects and promotes better healing outcomes. The Health System’s Brunswick Campus Wound Care Center has been recognized for excellence in wound healing for four consecutive years. Most recently, the center
received the Robert A. Warriner III, M.D., Clinical Excellence Award. This is the second year in a row the Wound Care Center has received the award for scoring in the top 10 percent of eligible Healogics® Wound Care Centers® on the Clinical Excellence measure, which is the Comprehensive Healing Rate weighted by wound mix. This is a way to measure the heal rate for every patient that comes through the clinic door. In 2017 and 2018, the center received the Center of Excellence award.
“Brunswick Campus Wound Care Center has been recognized for excellence in wound healing for four consecutive years.”
The Wound Care Center was awarded these prestigious honors by Healogics, the nation’s largest provider of advanced wound care services. Named for Dr. Robert A. Warriner III, a pioneer in wound care and the former Chief Medical Officer for Healogics, only 57 centers in the country received this award. Other notable statistics include 97.5 percent patient satisfaction rate, and a healed wound rate of 96 percent. Local care for chronic wounds are crucial since healing requires close monitoring and often multiple treatments. To help make it easier for patients in Camden County and the surrounding communities, the Health System opened a Wound Care Center on its Camden Campus in 2020. Similar to the Wound Care Center on the Brunswick Campus, the Camden Campus center is operated in conjunction with Healogics.
Wound Care Camden, photo by Chris Moncus Photography
Heritage Publishing, Inc. © 2021
15
