Anton Wooten glanced down at his right foot, smiled and shook his head.
“That toe was gone. I mean, it was gone, as far as I was concerned,” Wooten said. “But now … it’s doing just fine.”
Wooten, a Type 2 diabetic, found answers and proper treatment to save his right toe from possible amputation.
The 55-year-old semi-retired bus driver was recovering from a stroke two years ago when doctors at Auburn Regional Medical Center (ARMC) discovered a diabetic ulcer on his toe.
The hospital’s Wound Healing Center was called to action, providing aggressive state-of-the-art care in time to get Wooten back on his feet.
Diabetics suffering from chronic or non-healing wounds are discovering better care and more options with today’s newest approaches.
Wooten appreciates the fact that because of his treatment at the Wound Healing Center, he can now put one step in front of the other. On this day in November – National Diabetes Awareness Month – he is feeling fit and fortunate.
Good results
“It’s getting better, improving,” said Wooten, who goes in for weekly treatments at the center. “It’s been two years now … and I’ve seen many people come and go.”
An estimated 24 million Americans, like Wooten, live with diabetes. Of those affected, as many as 25 percent will develop chronic ulcers on their feet, with a probability of recurrence within five years of more than 50 percent.
Furthermore, it is estimated that every 30 seconds a limb is amputated somewhere in the world because of a diabetic wound.
Wounds, especially on the feet, are a major concern for diabetics, especially when they cannot feel them because the disease damages nerves that signal pain, according to Dr. Rodney W. Snyder, Medical Director of the ARMC’s Wound Healing Center.
Historically, results have not been favorable to patients, but advances in the field have given hope to patients and more tools for doctors.
ARMC began a partnership in 2007 with Diversified Clinical Services, one of the world’s largest and leading wound care management companies and the Wound Healing Center opened its doors. DCS centers traditionally achieve excellent clinical outcomes, including high limb salvage and healing rates.
Auburn’s WHC healing rate is 93 percent, which matches the national average, according to WHC Program Director Mary Faulkner.
The Auburn clinic has blossomed since its inception. It has four treatment rooms in its 2,800-square-foot facility. The clinic is led by an interdisciplinary team of specialists – Drs. Snyder; Dennis Su (vascular surgeon); Hanafy Hanafy (general surgeon) and Mark Tseng (plastic and reconstructive surgeon).
Among the center’s advanced treatment options is hyperbaric oxygen therapy.
Such an option helped Wooten and his condition. When a patient breathes pure oxygen inside a pressurized chamber, it quickly delivers high concentrations of oxygen to the bloodstream, which helps increase the body’s own natural wound-healing abilities.
Hyperbaric treatment also helps fight certain types of infections, improves circulation and stimulates the growth of new blood vessels.
“Specialized wound care and hyperbaric therapy are a major step forward in the prevention of amputation in the diabetic,” Dr. Snyder said. “It has been shown in a number of studies that the risk of a second amputation and death is much higher in patients who lose a leg or foot to diabetes.
“Our goal in the The Wound Healing Center is to treat all diabetic wounds aggressively to reduce the risk of amputation.”
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To find out more about the Wound Healing Center’s services, call 253-804-HEAL (4325).
