University Hospitals Geauga Medical Center’s Wound Care & Hyperbaric Medicine Center offers comprehensive wound care and leading-edge treatments

By Laura Briedis

For those living with chronic wounds, University Hospitals Geauga Medical Center, a campus of UH Regional Hospitals, is getting the word out during Wound Care Awareness Month in June about the advanced treatment options offered.

Many people are not aware of the severity of wounds—especially for people with diabetes whose wounds heal more slowly and have a risk for infections. The mortality rates of someone with chronic wounds can be more significant than someone with cancer. For instance, the five-year mortality rate for someone with breast cancer is 9% and diabetic foot ulcer is 31%.

A leader in the field, University Hospitals Geauga Medical Center’s Wound Care & Hyperbaric Medicine Center offers comprehensive wound care and leading-edge treatments, including hyperbaric oxygen therapy, negative pressure wound therapy, bio-engineered skin substitutes, biological and biosynthetic dressings, and growth factor therapies.

“We take a multidisciplinary approach to wound care, which includes nurses, primary care providers, general surgeons, podiatrists, plastic surgeons, infectious disease doctors, vascular services and nutritionists all working together to help patients heal,” says Dr. Liming Yu, general surgeon and medical director.

It is important that people who have chronic wounds seek care because early intervention is key to healing.

“It is vital to identify wounds as early as possible through foot exams,” says Beth Pacovsky, program director. “Timely detection of any wound can prevent serious complications, including amputation.”

For those who are at high risk for developing wounds, such as those with diabetes and peripheral artery disease, a daily foot exam can detect wounds.

“Many times, patients have neuropathy and don’t feel any pain, so a regular foot exam is critical,” Dr. Yu says. “A self-exam can help detect a wound even before it appears.”

“Check your feet for red spots, cuts, swelling, blisters, sores or toenail cracks,” says Beth, noting 25% of people living with diabetes will experience a foot ulcer. “To perform a self-foot check, sit in a well-lit room and examine your feet closely and, if needed, use a magnifying glass. You also can use a mirror to see the bottom of your feet.”

The earlier a person with a chronic wound seeks treatment, the better the outcome.

“Time does not heal wounds, we do,” Beth says. “At UH Geauga Medical Center’s Wound Care & Hyperbaric Medicine Center, we have a 95% healing rate.”

In addition to patients with diabetes, those who have poor circulation, obesity, heart disease, prolonged periods of immobility, complicated surgical wounds, burns, traumatic injury and cancer patients undergoing radiation therapy can develop chronic wounds that do not heal.

The center offers these people individualized care plans delivered by a care coordinator working with a multidisciplinary team of specialists. The goal is to identify patients with chronic, hard-to-heal wounds as early as possible so that comprehensive treatments may begin for optimal healing.

You can schedule an appointment at the UH Wound Care & Hyperbaric Medicine Center by calling 440-901-6366. The center is located at 13207 Ravenna Road, in Chardon. You can learn more by visitingUHhospitals.org/

Advanced Wound Treatment in Geauga County
When the Wound Care Center moved into its new location in Chardon in 2020, it brought along hyperbaric oxygen therapy. This treatment, which involves breathing 100% oxygen in a pressurized chamber, significantly increases the amount of oxygen carried in the bloodstream. Taking in a significantly higher amount of oxygen than normal provides body tissue with more fuel to heal a chronic wound.

This innovative therapy helps wound healing through other mechanisms as well, such as stimulating new blood vessel formation, increasing the production of wound healing growth factors, while inhibiting the growth of bacteria.

During the treatment, the patient lies on a stretcher in a clear, acrylic chamber and can watch TV or a movie. A session typically lasts for about 90 minutes.