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 doctors in Port St. Lucie, Florida
The Advanced Wound Center at HCA Florida St. Lucie Hospital provides high-quality wound management services to patients with chronic, nonhealing wounds.
We offer a multidisciplinary team of physicians, nurses and therapists with extensive experience in treating wounds that have resisted healing despite continued traditional treatment.
Working together, our wound care team provides assessments, advanced treatment options and wound prevention education to help you get better and stay better.
Make an appointment
To schedule a wound care consultation or appointment, please give our wound center a call.
To schedule a wound care consultation or appointment, please give our wound center a call.
Types of wounds we treat
We treat all types of wounds, including:
- Arterial ulcers
- Diabetic/neuropathic ulcers
- Minor burns
- Pressure ulcers/bed sores
- Radiation injuries
- Surgical wounds
- Traumatic injuries
- Venous insufficiency ulcers
Wound services and treatments
We offer an array of advanced wound treatment options for chronic wounds.
Your treatment will be based on your initial evaluation and may include the following:
- Advanced dressings
- Bioengineered tissue used for growth factor therapy
- Compression therapy
- Debridement, or the removal of dead or nonviable tissue
- Diabetes education
- Education for patients and caregivers regarding care between visits to our center
- Hyperbaric oxygen therapy
- Lymphedema therapy
- Medical nutrition therapy
- Wound cultures to identify infection
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT)
Our wound care center proudly offers patients access to our HBOT program. HBOT is a medical treatment in which a patient breathes 100 percent oxygen while in a specialized hyperbaric chamber.
The purpose of breathing 100 percent oxygen in a pressurized atmosphere is to increase the oxygen saturation in the patient’s blood, which delivers more oxygen to those tissues having trouble healing.
This treatment is performed by our specially trained HBOT technicians and is supervised by physicians specializing in hyperbaric medicine. Currently, our facility has two mono-place hyperbaric oxygen chambers. Mono-place chambers are designed to treat one patient at a time in each chamber.
Conditions treated with HBOT
We use HBOT as treatment for many types of wounds, including:
- Chronic wounds that have not shown improvement in four weeks or more
- Diabetic wounds that are slow-healing or nonhealing
- Infections of the bone and skin
- Radiation wounds resulting from damaged tissue
- Skin grafts that have potential problems with blood supply
What to expect during HBOT
When you arrive for treatment in one of our hyperbaric chambers, you will be asked to change into 100 percent cotton scrubs. Before the treatment begins, your hyperbaric medicine physician will perform a quick assessment, and we'll also educate you on safety measures of HBOT.
The only sensation you will experience is during the beginning (compression) phase of the treatment. The slowly increasing pressure will push on your eardrum and give you the same feeling you would experience when landing in an airplane or diving to the bottom of a swimming pool. The hyperbaric technician will instruct you on the different methods of relieving this ear pressure.
Treatment times vary but typically last two hours. You are able to listen to music or watch a video during treatment.
St. Lucie wound care clinic
Our wound care team provides assessments, advanced treatment options and wound prevention education to help you get better and stay better.
What to expect at our wound care center
Below you will find information to help you plan for your visit with us.
What to bring to your appointment
When you call for an initial appointment, you will be asked a few questions about your wound(s) and general health.
You will also be asked to provide insurance information so we can preregister you for the appointment. Please have your health insurance card(s) available.
Some health insurance providers require the patient to have a referral from their primary care physician and/or preauthorization for wound care visits. This will be discussed with you during the preregistration process. Our office staff will be able to assist with any authorizations required for the initial and subsequent visits.
Please prepare and bring the following with you to your first appointment:
- Bring copies of any medical records.
- Bring your health insurance card(s) and photo identification with you.
- Make a list of all medications you are taking (including over-the-counter medications like aspirin and vitamins).
- Make a list of any allergies you have.
- If you have diabetes, you may bring snack food and medication with you.
You will be asked to complete a questionnaire about your medical history prior to being seen by the physician. Your initial visit will take longer to allow for a full assessment. Please schedule transportation and other appointments to allow for this.
Initial wound assessment
Your initial assessment includes identification of the barriers to wound healing. These barriers may include but are not limited to:
- Decreased blood flow
- Infection
- Nutritional issues
- Presence of necrotic (dead) tissue
- Repeated trauma
- Other medical problems
We may request information from your primary care provider, such as a patient history, most recent physical, relevant office visit notes and results of previous laboratory and diagnostic tests. Based on your assessment, your physician may order further testing to diagnose and treat your wound(s).
We have three primary goals that will be explained at your first visit, including:
- Educating you about obstacles to healing
- Preventing future nonhealing wounds
- Teaching correct wound dressing and protection
Additionally, pain is assessed during each visit, whether it is related to the wound(s) or not. Topical or injectable anesthetics are used before procedures that may cause pain. Your physician may recommend a prescription for wound-related pain depending on your needs.
Referrals for wound care
Most of our patients are referred by their primary care physician. Although, patients are able to self-refer themselves for treatment. We maintain strong communication with your primary care doctor during your treatment to maintain the continuity of care.
If you would like more information about referrals, please call the Advanced Wound Center at (772) 398-3609.
Insurance coverage for wound care
Your insurance copayments will be collected at the time of each visit. Arrangements will need to be made with our registration staff for any other payment options.
Looking for another location?
Our Wound care Locations
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