It's personal - Community Memorial Health System

WoundCareaffected 6.5 million Americans last year,a figure that is expected to continue growing due to a sharp rise in theincidence of diabetes and obesity along with an aging population.Center for Wound Healing& Hyperbaric MedicineThe good news is that Chronic WoundHealing is now a Board Certified specialty andresearch in this emerging field is increasing at anexponential rate.After spending the first 25 years of his medicalcareer in Emergency Medicine, including fiveyears at Community Memorial Hospital in Ventura,Dr. John Tesman was drawn to the excitingand new disciplines of Chronic Wound Healingand Hyperbaric Medicine. Eight years ago, hebecame board certified and a Fellow in the Collegeof Certified Wound Care Specialists, as wellas board certified in Undersea and HyperbaricMedicine.Coming from the high-energy EmergencyRoom, the pace in the Wound Care Center isslower and less frenetic yet the work they do isevery bit as rewarding. Because they see patientsfor many weeks and even months, they are able todevelop relationships and create a loving familytypeatmosphere while providing closure for theirwounds.Chronic wounds – by definition a wound thathas not healed completely after 4 to 12 weeks – canbe terribly depressing and debilitating. In fact, theysometimes say Dr. Tesman is in the “limb-savingbusiness” because chronic wounds can result inamputation. This is especially true among diabeticpatients as they have a 15 percent increased riskfor amputation than the general population dueto chronic ulcers.By using a multidisciplinary approach, aChronic Wound specialist looks for and addressesthe multitude of factors that cause a wound. Forexample, he can help a diabetic get his diseaseunder control; refer a patient to a smoking cessationclinic; get ancillary care from other medicalspecialists such as a vascular surgeon. The goal isto not only close and heal a wound, but also helpreverse medical conditions that can cause woundsin the future.Approximately 2 percent of the U.S. populationwill experience a chronic wound during theirlifetime. Diabetes is the most common cause ofa chronic wound followed by obesity. Advancingage can also play a contributing role, as do lack ofexercise and poor diet.The most common cause of lower extremitychronic wounds is diabetes, followed by arterialand venous ulcers. Indeed, at the Wound CareCenter they see many different types of woundsranging from pressure ulcers to traumatic ulcers;from compromised flaps and grafts to radiationtissue injuries from cancer treatments.A Chronic Wound healing specialist hasextensive training in treating all of these variouswounds using proven evidence-based medicineand recognized clinical guidelines. Additionally,he or she is knowledgeable about the newestdressings and other sophisticated products toachieve the best, and fastest, results possible.About 25 percent of wound-care patientsare best served by undergoing hyperbaric oxygentherapy as an adjunctive therapeutic treatment.John Tesman, M.D.Medical Director of CommunityMemorial Health System’sCenter for Wound Healing &Hyperbaric Medicine Programlocated at 2705 Loma Vista Rd.Suite 205 in Ventura.Patients are placed in a hyperbaric chamberpressurized with 100 percent oxygen, resulting inhugely elevated blood and tissue oxygen concentrationsthat can greatly promote healing.Hyperbarics began decades ago as a wayto treat decompression illness – “the bends” indivers – but today has more than a dozen provenindications, including crush injuries and tissuebreakdown from radiation treatments for cancer.Dr. Tesman is extremely pleased and proudthat Community Memorial Health System’snew Center for Wound Healing & HyperbaricMedicine Program features two state-of-the-arthyperbaric chambers because there is a real andgrowing need for this cutting-edge treatment.Indeed, it’s exciting to now be able to offer ourcommunity a full spectrum of specialized chronicwound care right here in Ventura County.COMMUNITY MEMORIAL HEALTH SYSTEM | CARING 17