Wound Healing Center

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

Posted: Sept. 1, 2005

The Wound Healing Center at Columbia St. Mary’s has been treating and helping to prevent wounds for just over a year. In that time, M. Colette Cameron, M.D., and other members of the wound healing team have cared for nearly 400 patients and a total of almost 700 wounds.

“Most of our patients are referred by their primary care physician or specialists. Others learn about us from diabetes care seminars,” says Dr. Cameron. When the Wound Healing Center began operations, they expected to see three broad based patient groups: diabetics and persons with arterial disease; people with venous stasis; and those with unrelieved pressure points, such as wheelchair-bound elderly patients. The Wound Healing Center has proven to be useful to another group: trauma patients, including those who suffer a motor vehicle accident, an accident at work or a crushed limb.

M. Colette Cameron, M.D., Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Specialist, Columbia St. Mary’s "The number one cause of amputation in diabetics is an ulcer that begins on the foot, so prevention is paramount."

At the heart of the center
The Wound Healing Center provides the comprehensive care of physicians, wound care nurses, hyperbaric oxygen specialists and a clinic manager. The team works together to treat diabetic ulcers, skin lacerations, surgical wounds, traumatic injuries and other sores that Dr. Cameron says may have initially only required a band-aid but then wouldn’t heal.

The newest, most advanced treatment
Most treatment is done on a weekly basis and the duration may last anywhere from several treatments to 30 or 40 visits. Some technology employed at the Wound Healing Center includes:

Apligraf
Venous ulcers and diabetic foot ulcers can be treated with apligraf, which is created as a graft from the foreskin from newborns’ circumcisions. Although a relatively new procedure, Dr. Cameron describes the results of apligraf on her patients as excellent.

Hyperbaric oxygen (HBO)
“A patient is placed in a tank where they breathe 100 percent oxygen under pressure into their lungs. Their blood vessels carry that hyper-oxygenated blood to ulcers on their extremities where the oxygen kills bacteria, reduces swelling and stimulates new blood vessel growth,” says Dr. Cameron. The healing affects of oxygen continue even after the patient is out of the tank.

Oasis graft
This treatment uses freeze-dried swine intestine, which is high in collagen, to stimulate new cell growth. “Collagen is one of the building blocks of healing,” says Dr. Cameron.

Regranex gel
“Prescription Regranex is a synthetically produced growth hormone that stimulates cells in the wound to divide, which helps healing,” says Dr. Cameron. “It has been specifically tested in diabetics and is FDA approved for use in treating diabetic ulcers.”

An emphasis on prevention
The Wound Healing Center not only treats existing wounds, but also focuses on preventive foot care for its patients with diabetes. “If a patient comes to us with a diabetic ulcer on their calf, they won’t leave our clinic without having their feet examined,” says Dr. Cameron. “The number one cause of amputation in diabetics is an ulcer that begins on the foot, so prevention is paramount.”

Patients with diabetes receive recommendations on how to prevent foot ulcers through proper nail care, timely treatment of calluses and proper care of hammertoes or fallen arches. Some patients may be referred to a podiatrist or may need special foot wear to help avoid the development of foot ulcers. “We can perform simple sensation tests to determine a patient’s risk level and then make recommendations. We are really in the business of preventing amputations,” says Dr. Cameron.

In addition to the expertise of its staff, the Wound Healing Center is part of a 53-center consortium of wound healing facilities across the United States. “We are able to conduct electronic consultations and phone calls to discuss difficult cases with professionals throughout the country, which allows us to have a center with a national level of expertise,” says Dr. Cameron.

Your primary care physician or specialist may refer you to the Wound Healing Center or you may self-refer. If you have questions or would like to see a Wound Healing Center physician, call 414-961-4325.

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