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Wound care

Wound care involves medical interventions to heal a wound after injury. Specialized treatment is provided for wounds that are nonhealing or refuse to heal on their own. A vital aspect of treatment includes learning how to properly dress and care for a wound.

Wound care specialists in Florida

A severe or chronic wound can significantly impact your quality of life — from causing you pain to limiting your activities. 

That’s why HCA Florida Healthcare has experienced staff standing by at our wound care centers across the state. Our wound care centers bring together specialists from different medical disciplines, including wound care, vascular care and infectious disease management. This type of multispecialty team allows us to provide comprehensive wound treatment, regardless of your condition.

Related Specialties

Learn more about our related specialties

Understanding the wound healing process

A normal, healing wound typically follows three stages of healing:

  • Phase one — This is when special cells gather to form a seal around damaged blood vessels and nerves while other cells start cleaning the wound.
  • Phase two — Growth factors, which are found in the proteins of certain types of blood cells, stimulate the formation of new connective tissue to promote wound healing.
  • Phase three — In the final steps of healing, collagen forms and provides the structure and strength the body needs to create a new outer layer of skin.

Chronic wounds

A chronic wound does not follow the normal healing process. It is an area of skin that breaks down and has not shown signs of improvement in two weeks or fails to heal in four weeks. 
 
These chronic wounds form a "false covering," called fibrin, which stops all of the body’s natural attempts to heal the wound and can trap infection in the wound. As part of the treatment for chronic wounds, our specialists remove the fibrin so new skin cells can grow and heal the wound.
Factors that prevent wound healing
The entire wound healing process is complex, and it can be impaired by internal and external factors, such as:
 
  • Certain conditions, such as diabetes and vascular disorders
  • Infections
  • Insufficient blood supply
  • Insufficient flow of oxygen
  • Malnutrition
  • Medical treatments, such as radiation therapy, chemotherapy and steroid medications
  • Smoking
Prevention of chronic wounds

We are passionate about preventive care. To reduce the chances of your wound developing into a chronic wound, keep the following precautions in mind:

 
  • Visit your healthcare provider promptly if you have an injury. Even minor conditions, such as skin tears, can develop into chronic wounds.
  • Notify your provider if your wound is not healing after one month of treatment.
  • Keep pressure off the wounded area.
  • If you have diabetes, focus on controlling your blood glucose level through diet, exercise and any prescribed medication. Abnormal glucose levels can interrupt the healing process.
  • If you have diabetes or vascular disease, practice proper foot care and always wear properly fitting shoes.

Our treatments and services

We offer a variety of wound care services that we customize to meet your needs.

Wound treatments we offer

The type of wound treatment that is right for you will depend on the type of wound you have, as well as if any underlying conditions are preventing healing.

Our wound care doctors will perform a comprehensive evaluation of your wound. From there, they will create a personalized wound healing plan, which may include one or more of the following techniques:

  • Alleviation of weight-bearing wounds — Using special casts or boots on the foot, we can relieve pressure to treat foot ulcers.
  • Antibiotics — These medications may be used to prevent infection and may be administered for four to six weeks.
  • Blood sugar control — Adjustments in diet or medications can be made to achieve optimal blood sugar control, as high blood sugar weakens the immune system.
  • Debridement — This involves the removal of dead tissue around the wound, which cleans the wound and promotes healing.
  • Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) — Also called hyperbaric medicine, this specialized therapy involves breathing in pure oxygen while inside a pressurized hyperbaric chamber. The increase in oxygen in the blood promotes healing at the wound site.
  • Skin grafts — Various types of skin grafts may be used to speed up the healing of wounds.
  • Specialty wound dressings — Medicines and dressings are used to encourage wounds to close and heal.
  • Surgery — Surgical procedures may be necessary to improve blood flow, which helps heal the wound and prevent amputations or other complications.

Burn care

Second- and third-degree burns require highly specialized care to ensure proper healing and to prevent complications from occurring. This is why we have established multidisciplinary burn treatment teams that can provide complete burn care
 
From topical ointments and skin grafts to plastic and reconstructive surgery, we deliver advanced care to help you heal and minimize scarring. 

Our wound care teams

Often, wounds are complex and require the expertise of numerous specialists from different medical disciplines. This is why we have created wound care teams that include doctors, nurses and specialists who bring unique skills and experience to your wound treatment. This type of multidisciplinary care ensures you receive the care that is right for you. 
 
Our wound care teams include:
 
  • Physicians with advanced training in wound management
  • Nurses trained in chronic wound care
  • Technologists trained in all aspects of wound healing
  • Physical and occupational therapists
  • Specialists in vascular care, orthopedic care, infectious disease management, nutritional management, pain management and diabetic education

Looking for a location?

We also offer quality care at these other locations in our extended network.
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