Specialized facility will treat patients with chronic wounds
The Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine is continuing its mission of building healthier communities with the opening of the LECOM Institute for Advanced Wound Care & Hyperbaric Medicine, a specialized, state-of-the-art treatment facility for patients with chronic wounds.
Located within Millcreek Community Hospital, the LECOM Institute for Advanced Wound Care & Hyperbaric Medicine offers the latest protocols and therapies, such as hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT), negative pressure, bioengineered tissues and biosynthetic treatments, capable of accelerating the body’s innate healing ability. Chronic wounds can be caused by diabetic ulcers, pressure ulcers, infections, radiation injuries to soft tissue and bone, and compromised skin grafts and affect more than 8 million people nationally. A growing elderly population is one factor contributing to an increase in the number of individuals with chronic wounds.
“The center will be ideal for patients suffering from wounds that are difficult to treat,” said James Lin, D.O., Director of the LECOM Institute for Successful Aging and Vice President of Senior Services & Adult Living for Millcreek Health System. “With some patients, and particularly older adults, chronic wounds can lead to quality of life issues, such as decreased mobility and depression.”
In addition to Dr. Lin, the staff includes a number of physicians with advanced wound care training and clinical experience in geriatrics, internal medicine, orthopedic surgery, and podiatry: Danielle Hansen, D.O., Anthony Ferretti, D.O., Eric Milie, D.O., Jason Lee, D.P.M., Douglas Fronzaglia, D.O., and Jason Goldberg, D.O. Their expertise, along with that of other staff, will allow for a multidisciplinary approach to wound management.
The institute has partnered with Healogics™, the world’s largest wound care management company, to offer hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT). The therapy significantly increases the amount of oxygen able to reach wounds, allowing them to heal from the inside while also accelerating wound closure as well as tissue growth and regeneration.
By offering hyperbaric oxygen therapy, the institute expects to achieve excellent clinical outcomes, including high limb salvage rates, a 91 percent healing rate, and extremely high patient satisfaction rates.
The therapy involves patients lying on a bed within a transparent hyperbaric chamber. As they are surrounded by 100 percent oxygen at higher-than-normal atmospheric pressure, patients are able to relax and watch television, if they wish. The procedure is not invasive; patients feel only a slight pressure in their ears, similar to what they would experience during a flight.
The LECOM Institute for Advanced Wound Care & Hyperbaric Medicine, 5515 Peach St., will host an open house from 4-6 p.m. Jan. 21. For more information or to RSVP, please contact the Institute at 814-868-3999.
Millcreek Health System includes Millcreek Community Hospital, the Lake Erie College for Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM), the John M. and Silvia Ferretti Medical Fitness and Wellness Center, the Millcreek Geriatric Education & Care Center, and Medical Associates of Erie (MAE), the clinical practices of LECOM.