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Preserving lives and limbs
Professional wound care is crucial in the prevention of limb amputation.
For people with diabetes or peripheral vascular disease, it is important to
carefully monitor any break in the skin and seek the help of specialized
wound care professionals.
A group of health care professionals that specialize in wound and
hyperbaric care, heart and vascular care, podiatry, and surgery have
joined forces to create the Limb Preservation Program at Aspirus to
reduce the rate of amputation in north and central Wisconsin. This
will be accomplished through early intervention, prevention of wound
complications, coordination and integration with other health care
professionals, and the use of specialized wound care processes.
NEED HELP HEALING?
For more information about wound treatment
options or to make an appointment, call toll-free
800.847.4707
.
just a month after he lost his first toe,
and now Zwirschitz had only two
options—restart hyperbaric treatments
and hope that his body would heal
after the six-week treatment period or
amputate his entire foot. It was an easy
decision for Zwirschitz, who did not
want to lose his foot.
“They told me that if I chose amputation
I wouldn’t have to do hyperbaric
treatments, and I told them ‘But I’ll have
my foot, and that’s important,’” he said.
“I told them I wanted to stick with the
treatments, and they said if I want to keep
fighting that they would work with me.”
During his hyperbaric treatment
schedule, Zwirschitz also received
specialized wound care at the Aspirus
Wound & Hyperbaric Center to give
his wounds the best chance to heal.
About halfway through the treatments,
he knew he was on his way to recovery
when doctors began to see tissue
healing and the wounds finally
starting to close.
Now, with his wounds healed and a
special shoe insert, he walks normally.
This would not have been possible
without hyperbaric oxygen treatments.
“It was a long, tough grind, but
it sure was worth it,” he said. “Foot
amputation would have been certain
without hyperbarics.”
Knowledge is power
Diabetes HealthLink Newsletter
Diabetes can cause a number of health
issues if not managed properly. Call
715.847.2070
to see how the Aspirus
Diabetes Education Center can help
you or a loved one learn about
and manage diabetes. You
can also receive health tips,
recipes and other news by
signing up for the
Diabetes
HealthLink Newsletter
at
