Kootenai | Kootenai Health | Issue 3, 2017

TheHealing Power of O 2 New clinic provides advanced wound care By Stacie Jones Slow or nonhealing wounds may lead to serious problems, like bone infection, sepsis and even amputation. At Kootenai Clinic Wound Care, patients receive specialized treatment to heal chronic wounds quickly and avoid further pain, illness and other medical consequences. “While we provide knowledge and care to help patients with any kind of wound, we focus primar- ily on chronic wound care, particularly diabetic foot wounds, which are a big medical problem in our community,” said Natalie Cooper, M.D., a provider with Kootenai Clinic Wound Care. In a healthy body, most wounds—such as cuts or burns—heal on their own within two to three weeks. But for some patients with certain health conditions, even minor wounds require extra medical attention. “If a wound hasn’t healed after one month with conventional treatment, it’s really important to seek care from a specialist,” Dr. Cooper said. “This is especially important for patients who have other health problems that slow healing, such as diabetes or vascular disease. The earlier we start treating these wounds, the better the outcomes.” The clinic is one of just a few wound care facilities in the region to offer on-site hyperbaric oxygen therapy, in which patients lie in a sealed, pressurized chamber while breathing 100 percent oxygen. The technique tem- porarily raises oxygen levels in the blood, allowing it to carry 15 to 20 times more oxygen to the damaged tissue, which can accelerate healing and the body’s ability to fight infection. In addition to wound care, the clinic expanded recently to include specialized care for infectious diseases. Sean Cook, M.D., an infectious disease specialist, joined the clinic in June and began seeing patients in July. Wound won’t heal? Take the first steps toward care by calling Kootenai Clinic Wound Care at (208) 625-6944 or visiting KH.org/wound-care . Jeffrey Smith, Kootenai ClinicWound Care clinical supervisor, demonstrates how the hyperbaric chambers operate. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy helps accelerate healing as well as the body’s ability to fight infection. Natalie Cooper, M.D. KH . ORG 15