BACK TOTOP Browse A-ZSearchBrowse A-ZABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ0-9 E-mail FormEmail ResultsName:Email address:Recipients Name:Recipients address:Message: Print-FriendlyBookmarksbookmarks-menuWound care centersPressure ulcer - wound care center; Decubitus ulcer - wound care center; Diabetic ulcer - wound care center; Surgical wound - wound center; Ischemic ulcer - wound centerA wound care center, or clinic, is a medical facility for treating wounds that do not heal. You may have what is termed a non-healing wound if it:Has not started to heal in 2 weeks Has not completely healed in 6 weeks CausesCommon types of non-healing wounds include:Pressure sores Pressure soresA pressure sore is an area of the skin that breaks down when something keeps rubbing or pressing against the skin.Read Article Now Book Mark Article Surgical wounds Radiation sores Radiation soresWhen you have radiation treatment for cancer, you may have some changes in your skin in the area being treated. Your skin may turn red, peel, or itc...Read Article Now Book Mark Article Foot ulcers due to diabetes, poor blood flow, chronic bone infection (osteomyelitis), or swollen legs Foot ulcers due to diabetesIf you have diabetes, you have an increased chance of developing foot sores, or ulcers, also called diabetic ulcers. Foot ulcers are a common reason ...Read Article Now Book Mark Article OsteomyelitisOsteomyelitis is a bone infection. It is caused by bacteria or other germs.Read Article Now Book Mark Article Certain wounds may not heal well due to:Diabetes DiabetesDiabetes is a long-term (chronic) disease in which the body cannot regulate the amount of sugar in the blood.Read Article Now Book Mark Article Poor circulation due to damage to arteries or veins Nerve damage Bone infection Being inactive or immobile Weak immune system Poor nutrition Excess alcohol use Smoking Having a foreign body (such as a piece of wood or broken glass) in the woundNon-healing wounds may take months to heal. Surgery may be performed to speed up healing. Some wounds never heal completely.Your Wound Care TeamWhen you go to a wound clinic, you will work with a team of health care providers trained in wound care. Your team may include:Providers who oversee your care Nurses who clean and dress your wound and teach you how to care for it at home Physical therapists who help with wound care and work with you to help you stay mobile Your providers will also keep your primary care provider up to date on your progress and treatment.What to Expect at a Wound Care CenterYour wound care team will:Examine and measure your wound Check the blood flow in the area around the wound Determine why it's not healing Create a treatment plan Treatment goals include:Healing the wound Preventing the wound from getting worse or becoming infected Preventing limb loss Preventing new wounds from occurring or old wounds from coming back Helping you stay mobile In order to treat your wound, your provider will clean the wound and apply a dressing. You also may have other types of treatment to help it heal.DebridementDebridement is the process of removing dead skin and tissue. This tissue must be removed to help your wound heal. There are many ways to do this. You may need to have general anesthesia (asleep and pain-free) for debridement of a large wound.Surgical debridement uses a scalpel, scissors, or other sharp tools. During the procedure, your provider will:Clean the skin around the wound Probe the wound to see how deep it is Cut away the dead tissue Clean the wound Your wound may seem bigger and deeper after debridement. The area will be red or pink in color and look like fresh meat.Other ways to remove dead or infected tissue are to:Sit or place your limb in a whirlpool bath. Use a syringe to wash away dead tissue. Apply wet-to-dry dressings to the area. A wet dressing is applied to the wound and allowed to dry. As it dries, it absorbs some of the dead tissue. The dressing may be wet again and then gently pulled off along with dead tissue. Put special chemicals, called enzymes, on your wound. These dissolve dead tissue from the wound. After the wound is clean, your provider will apply a dressing to keep the wound moist, which promotes healing, and help prevent infection. There are many different types of dressings, including:Gels Foams Gauze Films Your provider may use one or multiple types of dressings as your wound heals.Hyperbaric Oxygen TherapyDepending on the type of wound, your provider may recommend hyperbaric oxygen therapy. Oxygen is important for healing.Hyperbaric oxygen therapyHyperbaric oxygen therapy uses a special pressure chamber to increase the amount of oxygen in the blood.Read Article Now Book Mark Article During this treatment, you sit inside a special chamber. The air pressure inside the chamber is about two and a half times greater than the normal pressure in the atmosphere. This pressure helps your blood carry more oxygen to organs and tissues in your body. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy can help some wounds heal faster.Other TreatmentsYour providers may recommend other types of treatment, including:Compression stockings -- tight-fitting stockings or wraps that improve blood flow in veins, reduce swelling, and help with healing. Compression stockingsYou wear compression stockings to improve blood flow in the veins of your legs. Compression stockings gently squeeze your legs to move blood up your...Read Article Now Book Mark Article Ultrasound -- using sound waves to aid healing. Artificial skin -- a synthetic skin that covers the wound for days at a time as it heals. Negative pressure therapy -- pulling the air out of a closed dressing, creating a vacuum. The negative pressure improves blood flow and pulls out excess fluid. Growth factor therapy -- materials produced by the body that help wound-healing cells grow. Skin grafts -- a surgeon removes part of your skin and places it over your wound.Skin graftsA skin graft is a patch of skin that is removed by surgery from one area of the body and transplanted, or attached, to another area.Read Article Now Book Mark Article You will receive treatment at the wound center every week or more often, depending on your treatment plan.Follow-up CareYour providers will give you instructions on caring for your wound at home in between visits. Depending on your needs, you may also receive help with:Healthy eating Diabetes care Smoking cessation Pain management Physical therapy When to Call Your DoctorYou should contact your provider if you notice signs of infection, such as:Redness Swelling Pus or bleeding from the wound Pain that gets worse Fever Chills Open ReferencesReferencesde Leon J, Bohn GA, DiDomenico L, et al. Wound care centers: critical thinking and treatment strategies for wounds. Wounds. 2016;28(10):S1-S23. PMID: 28682298 pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28682298/.Woelfel SL, Armstrong DG, Shin L. Wound care. In: Sidawy AN, Perler BA, eds. Rutherford's Vascular Surgery and Endovascular Therapy. 10th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2023:chap 118.AllVideoImagesTogSelf Care Smoking and surgeryStaph infections - self-care at homeSkilled nursing or rehabilitation facilitiesRelated Information Review Date: 4/9/2024 Reviewed By: Frank D. Brodkey, MD, FCCM, Associate Professor, Section of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team. The information provided herein should not be used during any medical emergency or for the diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition. A licensed medical professional should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions. 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Wound care centersPressure ulcer - wound care center; Decubitus ulcer - wound care center; Diabetic ulcer - wound care center; Surgical wound - wound center; Ischemic ulcer - wound centerA wound care center, or clinic, is a medical facility for treating wounds that do not heal. You may have what is termed a non-healing wound if it:Has not started to heal in 2 weeks Has not completely healed in 6 weeks CausesCommon types of non-healing wounds include:Pressure sores Pressure soresA pressure sore is an area of the skin that breaks down when something keeps rubbing or pressing against the skin.Read Article Now Book Mark Article Surgical wounds Radiation sores Radiation soresWhen you have radiation treatment for cancer, you may have some changes in your skin in the area being treated. Your skin may turn red, peel, or itc...Read Article Now Book Mark Article Foot ulcers due to diabetes, poor blood flow, chronic bone infection (osteomyelitis), or swollen legs Foot ulcers due to diabetesIf you have diabetes, you have an increased chance of developing foot sores, or ulcers, also called diabetic ulcers. Foot ulcers are a common reason ...Read Article Now Book Mark Article OsteomyelitisOsteomyelitis is a bone infection. It is caused by bacteria or other germs.Read Article Now Book Mark Article Certain wounds may not heal well due to:Diabetes DiabetesDiabetes is a long-term (chronic) disease in which the body cannot regulate the amount of sugar in the blood.Read Article Now Book Mark Article Poor circulation due to damage to arteries or veins Nerve damage Bone infection Being inactive or immobile Weak immune system Poor nutrition Excess alcohol use Smoking Having a foreign body (such as a piece of wood or broken glass) in the woundNon-healing wounds may take months to heal. Surgery may be performed to speed up healing. Some wounds never heal completely.Your Wound Care TeamWhen you go to a wound clinic, you will work with a team of health care providers trained in wound care. Your team may include:Providers who oversee your care Nurses who clean and dress your wound and teach you how to care for it at home Physical therapists who help with wound care and work with you to help you stay mobile Your providers will also keep your primary care provider up to date on your progress and treatment.What to Expect at a Wound Care CenterYour wound care team will:Examine and measure your wound Check the blood flow in the area around the wound Determine why it's not healing Create a treatment plan Treatment goals include:Healing the wound Preventing the wound from getting worse or becoming infected Preventing limb loss Preventing new wounds from occurring or old wounds from coming back Helping you stay mobile In order to treat your wound, your provider will clean the wound and apply a dressing. You also may have other types of treatment to help it heal.DebridementDebridement is the process of removing dead skin and tissue. This tissue must be removed to help your wound heal. There are many ways to do this. You may need to have general anesthesia (asleep and pain-free) for debridement of a large wound.Surgical debridement uses a scalpel, scissors, or other sharp tools. During the procedure, your provider will:Clean the skin around the wound Probe the wound to see how deep it is Cut away the dead tissue Clean the wound Your wound may seem bigger and deeper after debridement. The area will be red or pink in color and look like fresh meat.Other ways to remove dead or infected tissue are to:Sit or place your limb in a whirlpool bath. Use a syringe to wash away dead tissue. Apply wet-to-dry dressings to the area. A wet dressing is applied to the wound and allowed to dry. As it dries, it absorbs some of the dead tissue. The dressing may be wet again and then gently pulled off along with dead tissue. Put special chemicals, called enzymes, on your wound. These dissolve dead tissue from the wound. After the wound is clean, your provider will apply a dressing to keep the wound moist, which promotes healing, and help prevent infection. There are many different types of dressings, including:Gels Foams Gauze Films Your provider may use one or multiple types of dressings as your wound heals.Hyperbaric Oxygen TherapyDepending on the type of wound, your provider may recommend hyperbaric oxygen therapy. Oxygen is important for healing.Hyperbaric oxygen therapyHyperbaric oxygen therapy uses a special pressure chamber to increase the amount of oxygen in the blood.Read Article Now Book Mark Article During this treatment, you sit inside a special chamber. The air pressure inside the chamber is about two and a half times greater than the normal pressure in the atmosphere. This pressure helps your blood carry more oxygen to organs and tissues in your body. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy can help some wounds heal faster.Other TreatmentsYour providers may recommend other types of treatment, including:Compression stockings -- tight-fitting stockings or wraps that improve blood flow in veins, reduce swelling, and help with healing. Compression stockingsYou wear compression stockings to improve blood flow in the veins of your legs. Compression stockings gently squeeze your legs to move blood up your...Read Article Now Book Mark Article Ultrasound -- using sound waves to aid healing. Artificial skin -- a synthetic skin that covers the wound for days at a time as it heals. Negative pressure therapy -- pulling the air out of a closed dressing, creating a vacuum. The negative pressure improves blood flow and pulls out excess fluid. Growth factor therapy -- materials produced by the body that help wound-healing cells grow. Skin grafts -- a surgeon removes part of your skin and places it over your wound.Skin graftsA skin graft is a patch of skin that is removed by surgery from one area of the body and transplanted, or attached, to another area.Read Article Now Book Mark Article You will receive treatment at the wound center every week or more often, depending on your treatment plan.Follow-up CareYour providers will give you instructions on caring for your wound at home in between visits. Depending on your needs, you may also receive help with:Healthy eating Diabetes care Smoking cessation Pain management Physical therapy When to Call Your DoctorYou should contact your provider if you notice signs of infection, such as:Redness Swelling Pus or bleeding from the wound Pain that gets worse Fever Chills Open ReferencesReferencesde Leon J, Bohn GA, DiDomenico L, et al. Wound care centers: critical thinking and treatment strategies for wounds. Wounds. 2016;28(10):S1-S23. PMID: 28682298 pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28682298/.Woelfel SL, Armstrong DG, Shin L. Wound care. In: Sidawy AN, Perler BA, eds. Rutherford's Vascular Surgery and Endovascular Therapy. 10th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2023:chap 118.