Wound Healing Center at Columbia St. Mary’s

with M. Colette Cameron, M.D., Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Specialist, Columbia St. Mary’s

Posted: May 1, 2004

Summertime brings the joys of bright sun, green grass and bare feet. And bare feet can lead to scrapes and cuts – an annoyance, perhaps, but not a serious problem for most people.

Unfortunately, a minor wound can lead to major problems for people with certain chronic diseases and conditions. With their health in mind, Columbia St. Mary’s recently created its Wound Healing Center, a facility designed to treat existing wounds and prevent new ones.

M. Colette Cameron, M.D., Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Specialist, Columbia St. Mary's "We're making great strides with a variety of patients and conditions. I recently began treating a patient who's had the same open wound for three years and we've seen it reduce in size significantly."

Comprehensive care
“The center offers a comprehensive way to evaluate and treat wounds,” explained M. Colette Cameron, M.D., a physical medicine and rehabilitation specialist who is one of four physicians staffing the center. “Columbia St. Mary’s has offered excellent wound care for a long time,” Dr. Cameron said, “but our services were fragmented. Now we have a highly trained staff of nurses, technologists and physicians, as well as a podiatrist, all working as a team in one place.”

Dr. Cameron has been a champion of dedicated wound care. “In physical medicine and rehab, I was seeing so many patients with amputations. I wanted to be able to prevent the loss of their limbs. Eventually, I came to realize that some of the amputations I had seen could have been avoided altogether. With that in mind, I’ve been focusing on wound prevention as well as wound care.”

Who requires wound care?
Often, wound-care patients fall into one of three broad categories: diabetics and persons with arterial disease; people with venous stasis; and those with unrelieved pressure points, such as wheelchair-bound elderly patients.

Diabetics often have vascular problems, Dr. Cameron said, which can limit the flow of oxygen to extremities. Venous stasis means that blood tends to pool in the legs, which happens to people who spend a lot of time on their feet or in positions that reduce blood flow. Pressure points are common on the feet, elbows and even on the derriere.

In any of these situations, as well as countless others, open wounds and ulcers may form and become limb-threatening health risks.

Wound care is a growing specialty, according to Dr. Cameron, particularly with an aging population. However, the center also serves young people including those with Type 1 diabetes and osteomyelitis, a bone infection.

People with chronic wounds, and those at risk for future problems, often start their medical treatment at the Wound Healing Center.

“We’re the first line in terms of evaluation,” said Dr. Cameron. “We look at the patient in a very holistic way, which includes a thorough review of history, nutrition, chronic diseases and other problems such as heart failure or infections. All major organ systems are considered.”

Benefits to patients
Cameron and her colleagues stress education and prevention, as well as on-going treatment. The center also includes a staff of specialists trained in the use of hyperbaric oxygen, which is used in the center’s three hyperbaric chambers.

In addition to the obvious treatment benefits, the Wound Healing Center offers its patients the latest new-product information, thanks to its participation in an extensive wound-clinic network.

“There are literally thousands of new products on the market to treat wounds,” she said. “Some are very expensive and others haven’t been thoroughly tested. By sharing information with other specialists nationwide, we can help our patients choose the most effective, and most cost-efficient, approach to wound care. Ultimately, it helps to drive down the cost of quality health care.” To contact the Wound Healing Center for more information or questions please call (414) 964-4325 (HEAL).

We Have Answers Do you have medical questions or need help finding a doctor? The experts at Columbia St. Mary's and Advanced Healthcare can help. Click here.