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Wound Care

CCM Health - Wound Care

CCM Health offers Wound Care to patients with medical, diabetic, surgical, and traumatic wounds.

The CCM Health Approach

Millions of Americans do not have the ability to heal wounds properly because of diabetes, poor circulation, paralysis, or other health conditions. CCM Health wound specialists help patients with slow- or non-healing wounds by using the latest treatment methods to help patients get back to their normal lives. Patients do not need a referral to be seen for wound care services.

CCM Health’s Wound Care Services can diagnose and treat many types of wounds that are delayed in healing, including the following conditions:

  • Arterial wounds
  • Autoimmune wounds
  • Burns (Acute)
  • Cancer wounds
  • Diabetes complications
  • Infections
  • Ischemic wounds
  • Late effects of radiation
  • Non-healing surgical incisions
  • Orthopedic wounds
  • Osteomyelitis
  • Osteoradionecrosis
  • Poor circulation
  • Post-surgical wounds
  • Pressure wounds (bed sores)
  • Radiation therapy wounds
  • Soft tissue necrosis
  • Swelling
  • Traumatic wounds
  • Venous stasis & varicose vein wounds

Treatment for Wounds

We care for patients with all types of chronic and slow-healing wounds, including ulcers, burns, and infections. Inflamed or painful wounds or ulcers that do not heal with time need specialized medical attention. These chronic wounds could cause serious complications if left unmanaged.

Part of CCM Health’s wound care protocol is to use a process called debridement, the removal of fibrin with an instrument called a curette. Debridement starts the body’s healing process all over again by making the body think it has a brand-new wound. Debridement may need to be done on a weekly basis until the new cell growth, known as epithelialization, has occurred.

Overall, treatment will focus on the cause of the wound, co-existing conditions that impact wound healing and topical wound management.

Treatment for wounds is done at CCM Health’s clinic in Montevideo, MN.

Understanding Chronic Wounds

A chronic wound is an area of skin breakdown that has not shown signs of improvement in two weeks or fails to heal in four weeks. Factors such as diabetes, poor circulation, pressure, nutritional deficits or smoking all affect the normal healing process of wounds.

When a wound fails to heal, it forms a false covering, called fibrin, which stops all the body’s natural attempts to heal the wound and can trap infection in the wound. This fibrin must be removed so new skin cells can grow and heal the wound.

Symptoms of chronic wounds include:

  • Bleeding – Healing wounds will scab over and stop bleeding. If a wound still bleeds after a few weeks, it could be a chronic wound.
  • Discharge – Yellowish, milky, or thick liquid oozing from a wound is a sign of infection, which can slow or stop the healing process.
  • Fever – If your temperature runs higher than 100 degrees Fahrenheit for several hours, see a doctor as soon as possible. A fever could indicate a serious complication.
  • Odor – Foul-smelling wounds likely have dead tissue that needs to be removed for the wound to heal.
  • Pain – If pain lingers or becomes worse weeks after you first notice it, the wound may not be healing.
  • Swelling – Chronic wounds can appear red and swollen, even after several days or weeks.

If a sore or ulcer is still showing these symptoms after 30 days, it likely is a chronic wound that will require specialized wound care.

Causes of Chronic Wounds

Several health conditions and medical factors can cause wounds to develop, including:

  • Arterial insufficiency (leg ulcers) – Clogged arteries in the legs can cause ulcers, or open sores, to form. These wounds are called ischemic ulcers, meaning they are caused by reduced blood flow, a symptom of peripheral vascular disease.
  • Autoimmune disorders (leg and foot ulcers) – Disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis can cause ulcers to develop on the legs or feet due to inflammation and poor blood circulation.
  • Diabetes (foot ulcers) – People with diabetes are at risk for foot ulcers. These sores typically develop on the bottom of the foot which, if left untreated, can cause serious complications such as the need to amputate the affected foot or leg. Learn how to prevent diabetic foot ulcers.
  • Injury (traumatic ulcers) – Trauma that damages the body’s tissue or the arteries, veins or the infection-fighting lymphatic system can lead to the formation of ulcers.
  • Osteomyelitis (bone infection) – The bone tissue becomes inflamed after a bacterial blood infection spreads to the bone. Learn more about osteomyelitis. Ostomy – This medical procedure creates an opening in the stomach to transport waste out of the body, usually because of bowel problems. The ostomy wound must be kept clean or it can become infected.
  • Prolonged pressure (bedsores) – These ulcers develop on areas of the skin that are under constant, prolonged pressure, usually because someone is bedridden or unconscious. They usually form on bony, protruding body parts such as the tailbone, elbows, and shoulder blades.
  • Surgery (infected wounds) – Post-surgery wounds can become infected, making the skin surrounding an incision red and inflamed. The infection prevents the area from healing.
  • Venous insufficiency (leg ulcers) – If the veins that control blood flow to the heart fail, blood can get backed up and cause ulcers to form. These sores usually appear on the lower leg or ankle.

If your wound has not healed after 30 days, you should seek treatment from a health care professional.

Chronic Wound Treatment Options

We treat all types of chronic (non-healing) wounds. Our wound care team uses advanced therapies to help you heal, including:

  • Casts – Leg and foot casts prevent further damage to the skin around ulcers to ensure they heal properly.
  • Compression therapy – Patients wear compression stockings that are designed to increase blood flow and improve circulation in the ankles and legs to treat venous insufficiency ulcers.
  • Debridement – We remove dead tissue from wounds to help them heal.
  • Electrical stimulation – The body uses electrical signals to trigger all its actions, including healing. This treatment uses an electrical current to make stalled cells around a wound start healing again.
  • Growth factor therapy – The body naturally produces growth factors – substances that help cells grow and heal. We apply growth factors in gel form directly to wounds to help them heal faster.
  • Infrared therapy – Patients can use the Anodyne® Therapy System at home to increase circulation and relieve pain.
  • Medication – Your doctor may prescribe anti-inflammatory drugs or antibiotics to treat your wound.
  • Negative pressure wound therapy – Also called wound vac, we use vacuum suction to draw fluid from the wound through a special dressing connected to a pump.
  • Skin graft – Our surgeons remove skin from one part of your body and transplant it to replace the skin around a non-healing wound.
  • Ultrasound – This treatment method jumpstarts the body’s natural healing process by targeting wounds with high frequency vibrations.

In addition to these treatments, we will provide educational resources to help you keep wounds clean and free from infection at home.

Providers at Wound Care