Wound care

• Antibiotics — These medications are often used even if an infection is not clearly present. They can be used as a method of preventing infection.
• Alleviation of weight-bearing wounds — Keeping pressure off an affected foot can help heal certain types of ulcers. Sometimes, special casts or boots are placed on the foot to off-load pressure from the ulcer.
• Blood sugar control — Infected ulcers are known to cause high blood sugar levels, which lower immune response and prevent wound healing. Adjustments made to diet and medication can help fight infections and heal wounds. Sometimes, insulin shots are given to achieve optimal short-term blood sugar control.
• Debridement — This process involves the removal of dead tissue around a wound. It is necessary for wound cleaning and to promote the healing process.
• Skin grafts — A bioengineered skin graft or human skin graft can be used to treat diabetic foot ulcers that fail to heal with traditional treatment methods. Grafts have been shown to speed up the healing process.
• Specialty wound dressings — The application of medicines and dressings can encourage wounds to close and promote healing.
• Surgery — Surgery to improve blood flow in the leg arteries may help with wound healing and spare the need for amputation. Amputation surgery is used as a last resort to stop the spread of infection to the rest of the body.

Following treatment, some patients may require continued care to supplement the healing and recovery process. For this reason, our hospital offers comprehensive physical therapy and rehabilitation services.

HCA Florida South Tampa Hospital is also pleased to offer hyperbaric oxygen therapy to our wound care patients. HBOT is an advanced therapy used to accelerate the healing of chronic, nonhealing wounds. It has proven effective in treating several types of infections and conditions, ranging from carbon monoxide poisoning to radiation injuries.

HBOT allows patients to breathe pure oxygen inside a pressurized chamber, which delivers high concentrations of oxygen to the bloodstream — about 10 to 20 times the normal amount. Pure oxygen obtained in the hyperbaric chamber can reach areas that oxygen-carrying red blood cells are unable to reach.

As a result, HBOT helps revitalize tissues that receive poor blood flow, stimulating the growth of new blood vessels. Increased levels of oxygen also enable more infection-fighting white blood cells to reach affected areas.

HBOT is painless, and most patients will watch television or fall asleep during treatment. Treatment is monitored by a certified hyperbaric technologist at all times, and there is always a physician nearby.

After you are comfortably positioned in the chamber, the technologist will slowly increase the air pressure. As the pressure slowly increases and decreases at the end of treatment, you may experience the sensation of changing altitude while in an airplane. Your technologist is able to help equalize the pressure between your ears, if needed.

Most patients require HBOT treatment over the course of several weeks to see wound healing results.

Please note if you need emergency care for a wound, you may come to our hospital's 24/7 emergency room (ER) for treatment.

Our wound care team is committed to providing expert care with dignity and respect. The care you receive at our hospital will be coordinated by our hospital staff in partnership with your primary care provider.