Wound Care

An open wound is an injury involving an external or internal break in body tissue, usually involving the skin. Nearly everyone will experience an open wound at some point in their life. Most open wounds are minor and can be treated at home.

Falls, accidents with sharp objects, and car accidents are the most common causes of open wounds. In the case of a serious accident, you should seek immediate medical care. This is especially true if there’s a lot of bleeding or if bleeding lasts for more than 20 minutes.

Mkare supports people with non-healing or slow to heal wounds.

Our specialist nurses support patients with any type of wound that requires advanced medical attention, including trauma wounds, surgical wounds, leg ulcers and pressure ulcers.

Our service can provide a comprehensive assessment if you have a non-healing or slow-to-heal wound that requires advanced wound therapy treatments. An assessment will take place in your home.

After your assessment, a treatment plan will be drawn up and our nurse will then undertake the care.

A non-healing wound is a wound that doesn’t heal within five to eight weeks, even though you’ve been following your provider’s instructions to take care of it. This can be very serious, because it can become infected and lead to an illness or even the loss of a limb. A non-healing wound sometimes is called a chronic wound. There are many different types of non-healing wounds, but the most common is an ulcer.

Many people are at risk for non-healing wounds. They include people with:

• Diabetes, anemia, cancer and other long-term medical conditions.
• Heart issues, such as high blood pressure, heart disease or varicose veins.
• Immobility, such as being confined to a wheelchair or bed.
• Unhealthy habits such as smoking, not eating a healthy diet or not being active.
• A weak immune system from chemotherapy, immunosuppressive medications, or medical conditions such as AIDS.
• A history of ulcers.

Wound treatments are based on the type and severity of the wound or ulcer. Basic wound care treatment may include:

• Topical wound medication and specialized dressings
• Compression wrapping
• Compression stockings
• Patient education on self-care
• Antibiotics
• Hyperbaric oxygen therapy
• Debridement, or removing unhealthy tissue
• Ultrasound (heals using sound waves)
• Negative pressure therapy (air is pulled from a closed dressing, which improves blood flow and draws out excess fluids from the wound)
• Growth-factor therapy (help wound-healing cells to grow)
• Surgery

If you have been discharged from the hospital with a Non-healing wound, Mkare can help you. We will help you to assess, treat and monitor the wound, as well as provide any other help you require.