Diabetes impairs blood circulation, which affects your body’s ability to heal wounds. In fact, diabetes is the leading cause of non-traumatic lower-extremity amputations in the United States.
The Ohio State Comprehensive Wound Center offers optimal care of wounds, or ulcers, for people with diabetes. That expert preventive care and treatment are possible because of our integrated team of specialists in endocrinology, podiatry, vascular and reconstructive surgery and hyperbaric medicine. Team members work not only to treat diabetic wounds, but to identify underlying conditions to aid healing and prevention.
Advanced Care and Convenience
We make it easy for you to visit our Comprehensive Wound Center. You don’t need a doctor’s referral, and you can usually get an appointment within seven days — and parking is free. Our wound care team uses advanced, noninvasive diagnostic technology to develop a customized treatment plan for your diabetic ulcer.
Your Ohio State doctor will conduct a thorough exam to evaluate your ulcer and create a plan treatment, utilizing painless, noninvasive testing. These tests are used to examine the wound, look for infection and determine the wound-healing capacity of the surrounding tissue.
Healing Treatment Options
Our Comprehensive Wound Center offers a full range of treatment options, backed by the expertise and resources that can only be found at an academic medical center. Your wound care team will coordinate care with other specialists, such as endocrinologists, to manage your diabetes, peripheral arterial disease or any other underlying conditions. We’ll develop a personalized solution to meet your needs, drawing from various therapies and treatments ranging from antibiotics and medications to complex reconstructive surgery.
Treatment may include:
- Debridement is the removal of dead tissue around the wound using a scalpel to reveal healthy skin. Initially, this will make the ulcer larger and cause bleeding, but exposing healthy tissue allows faster and cleaner healing. In most cases, your doctor performs the procedure in an operating room and you’ll be given anesthetic. After the procedure, special dressings or medications will be applied to the wound to promote healing. The wound care nurse will tell you how to care for the wound and apply dressings. In addition, your doctor may prescribe special footgear, braces or use of crutches or a wheelchair to take pressure off the wound and allow it to heal.
- Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy is a painless, noninvasive procedure in which you breathe pure oxygen in a compression chamber to increase oxygen level in the tissues and improve healing. This therapy is often used in combination with other treatments.
- Minimally Invasive Vascular Procedures may be used if narrowed or blocked arteries are limiting blood flow to the wound. Your doctor can perform minimally invasive vascular procedures to improve blood flow and promote healing.
- Complex Surgical Reconstruction can help improve healing or repair damaged tissue. Ohio State’s surgeons can perform skin grafts, flap surgery and other advanced reconstructive surgical procedures to treat your wound.
Ongoing, Preventive Care
The Ohio State Comprehensive Wound Center offers ongoing care as well as referral to medical and rehabilitation services that promote healing, wellness and the prevention of recurring wounds. Learn more about services Ohio State offers for the care of diabetes.