Health Essentials - Winter 2012 - Euclid - (Page 3)

Healing at last Extraordinary therapy at Euclid Hospital offers fast fix for hard-to-heal wounds Remember when you were a kid and got a boo-boo? Your mother would probably wash it, apply antibacterial ointment and stick on a Band-Aid. Then there was the magic kiss and voila! All better. If only it were that easy for everyone. Unfortunately, it’s not, especially for people who have diabetes, a condition that limits the body’s ability to deliver oxygen-rich blood to facilitate the healing process. Without adequate oxygen, foot ulcers and other wounds can be difficult to heal, sometimes requiring months of care. Fortunately, there is help. Euclid Hospital now has a way to get oxygen to those hard-to-heal wounds. Called hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) therapy, this treatment involves delivering 100 percent oxygen to the body. When combined with routine treatments, HBO therapy significantly increases healing. In fact, healing rates of 85 to 95 percent are normal. A Great Help to Those with Diabetes Mary Pleasant, a Euclid resident, is a big fan of HBO therapy. Last November, she developed a diabetic foot ulcer. “We spent 10 months trying to clear it up, but then I started hyperbaric oxygen therapy and that cleared it up in just six weeks,” she says. “I’m very happy to have this treatment.” The need for HBO therapy is growing, according to Howard Katz, DO, FACOS, medical director of Euclid’s Hyperbaric Center. “Since there has been, and will continue to be, an astounding increase in the prevalence of diabetes, this specialized treatment is very beneficial to the community, particularly considering that there are a limited number of these facilities available in the region,” he says. (call) LET uS HELP HEAL yOuR WOuND if you have a wound that has been hard to heal, call 216.692.7711 today to find out how hyperbaric oxygen treatment (HBO) could help you. The Patient Experience Patients typically undergo a twohour treatment daily for four to seven weeks. While most HBO units only accommodate one person at a time, the Euclid facility seats up to 10. “This makes the experience much less claustrophobic,” says Molly McCourt, the center’s practice manager. “Patients sit and read, nap or watch a movie on the widescreen TV while breathing oxygen through special masks. It’s actually relaxing.” “In addition to diabetic wounds, hyperbaric oxygen therapy is equally effective in treating bone infections, compromised skin flaps and grafts, and radiation injuries,” says Dr. Katz. “The treatments are generally well tolerated and comfortable for patients.” Pleasant initially received HBO treatments at Huron Hospital, but in October the service was transitioned to Euclid Hospital. She says, “It’s been a very positive experience. The people are really friendly. You get to know other patients and become like family.” HEALTH ESSENTiALS 3 After months of trying other therapies, Mary Pleasant was successfully treated for her wound within six weeks. Howard Katz, DO, FACOS, is medical director of Euclid’s Hyperbaric Center. EuCLiDHOSPiTAL.ORG http://www.EUCLIDHOSPITAL.ORG

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Health Essentials - Winter 2012 - Euclid

Health Essentials - Winter 2012 - Euclid
Contents
A message from the president
Wound healing therapy now available at Euclid
Doing it her way
All-day therapy can help with fuller recovery

Health Essentials - Winter 2012 - Euclid