Since opening March 13, the center is up to 18 patients. The center, located on the lower level of the ambulatory surgery center at the hospital’s Mack Road campus, hopes to have as many as 400 new patients by the end of the year, said Staci Baker, director of the Fairfield hospital Wound Care Center.
One reason the wounds have trouble healing is because of poor blood flow, Baker said.
The number of patients with chronic wounds is growing due to complications such as diabetes, obesity and cancer treatment.
For treatment, staff at the Fairfield wound center evaluate and manage the wounds, take needed cultures and monitor patients’ progress on a weekly basis, Baker said. The center also has two hyperbaric chambers that deliver pure oxygen to speed the healing process.
“We serve patients with nonhealing chronic wounds,” Baker said. “It’s becoming more common due to the aging population and due to the amount of individuals with diabetes.”
Mercy Health opened the Fairfield wound center along with one at The Jewish Hospital in partnership with Healogics, a company managing more than 500 wound centers nationwide. Mercy hospitals Clermont and Mt. Airy already have the service.
Healogics has a national average for healing rates of 92 percent within 28 days, Mercy Health said.
Left untreated, the wounds could lead to infection or amputation, Baker said. The incidence of chronic wounds, especially foot ulcers, increases among those diagnosed with diabetes, according to Baker.
A chronic wound is not a disease, but is a result of one or more underlying conditions, according to Baker.
The new Fairfield wound care center directly competes with the Center for Wound Healing at Fort Hamilton Hospital. Fort Hamilton opened a wound center in 2006 in partnership with National Healing Corp., which later merged and formed the company now known as Healogics Inc.
About the Author