Health
- Last Updated on Monday, 01 April 2013 02:22
Sometimes wounds just will not heal on their own. Dana and Michael Gottke, of Allenport, know firsthand the frustration that comes with chronic wounds. In 1997, Michael injured his right leg in a bicycle accident that required doctors to place hardware in his shin. Seven years later, he developed an abscess from that hardware. Dana who is a secretary at Monongahela Valley Hospital’s Center for Wound Management, encouraged her husband to seek treatment for the abscess there. The staff at the Center for Wound Management treated the abscess and it healed in one month. In June 2012, he returned to the Center for a diabetic ulceration on his right foot which had led to an infection that caused inflammation of the bone and marrow.
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Gene W. Manzetti, M.D., a cardiovascular/thoracic surgeon, and Mark H. Hofbauer, D.P.M., a podiatric surgeon, developed a plan of care for Mr. Gottke that included an ACell implant, which is the use of ground pig bladder to regenerate tissue, and pin placement and realignment. The graft healed in six weeks, and in eight weeks the pins were removed. He has not had a recurrence.
“I went to the Center for what I thought was a short doctor’s visit.” said Mr. Gottke. “When I was told I had to be admitted, I was frightened. I ended up spending 11 days in Monongahela Valley Hospital and had my fears laid to rest by the patient, knowledgeable, professional and caring staff of the Center for Wound Management, ancillary departments, Operating Room and 7-East. The hospital should be very proud of its people.”
According to national statistics, approximately 6 million Americans suffer from non-healing wounds caused by diabetes, circulatory problems, pressure, surgical wounds and many other conditions. A chronic, non-healing wound is one that is present for longer than four to six weeks and is not showing improvement.
MVH’s Center for Wound Management’s outpatient treatment program focuses on the entire patient — not just the wound. A team of skilled physicians and certified wound care nurses evaluates each person to identify the underlying cause of the wound in order to create an individualized treatment plan. The multidisciplinary team includes a nutritionist, physical therapy consultant, and if necessary, a visiting nurse to help manage the wound at home.
People with chronic wounds can self refer to the Center for Wound Management unless their insurance requires physician referral.
Located on the campus of Monongahela Valley Hospital in the Charles L. and Rose Sweeney Melenyzer Pavilion, the Center is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. For information, call 724-258-1912.
