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| Hyperbaric
oxygen chambers are placed in the Medical Mall at St. Mary's
Hospital of Blue Springs. |
It’s estimated that at any given time, nearly 5
million Americans suffer from chronic non-healing wounds. Now, any
of those in Eastern Jackson County can get wound treatment more
conveniently. The Center for Wound Care and Hyperbaric Medicine
opened this month in The Medical Mall at St. Mary’s Hospital.
The center offers all facets of wound care including
hyperbaric oxygen therapy.
“Wound treatment can be very complicated,”
says Scott Kujath, MD, medical director for the center. “It’s
important to have a specialized center with all of the equipment
and supplies needed for the best possible treatment.”
So, who needs specialized wound care? “Anybody,”
says Dr. Kujath. “People with diabetic ulcers, pressure sores,
ulcers caused by circulations problems. Sometimes non-healing wounds
occur after radiation therapy, surgery, injury–or just occur
spontaneously.” Medical experts predict an even higher incidence
of chronic wounds because of the aging population and the increase
in diabetes.
The center has a team of wound treatment professionals
including vascular surgeons, general surgeons, podiatrists, internists,
nurses and a hyperbaric technician--all with advanced training in
caring for chronic wounds. The hospital is partnering with Diversified
Therapy for the center. Diversified Therapy manages 37 wound treatment
centers across the country, including the center at North Kansas
City Hospital. Dr. Kujath has been on staff at that center since
it opened a year and a
half ago.
“There have been many advances in wound care and
it has become very specialized,” says Dr. Kujath. “We
think of the center as an extension of physicians’ practices.
We work very closely with patients’ primary physicians. They
treat the underlying disease and provide the overall patient care–we’ll
treat the wound.”
The center will also provide hyperbaric oxygen therapy
(HBOT) to those patients who need it–although it’s estimated
only about 20 percent of chronic wounds require HBOT. During the
treatment, the patient breathes 100 percent oxygen inside a pressurized
tube. High levels of oxygen are delivered into the bloodstream,
accelerating the healing rate of wounds. “Hyperbaric oxygen
therapy can be very beneficial to patients with certain infections
and diabetic ulcers–in some cases preventing amputation,”
says Dr. Kujath. “But it’s probably used most for patients
with radiation tissue damage.”
The center at St. Mary’s Hospital currently has
two chambers, but can add another as the need arises.
“There was a great need for this in our area,”
says Gordon Docking, CEO, St. Mary’s Hospital. “We strive
for customer service and this center will help us to provide the
best care for our patients with the convenience of having treatment
close to home.”
For more information, call The Center for Wound Care and
Hyperbaric Medicine at St. Mary’s Hospital at 816-655-5780.
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