October/November, 2013

TheLaughlin Wound Warrior Center for Wound Care

Every Hour Seven People With Diabetes Have An Amputation Laughlin Center for Wound Care offers warning signs during American Diabetes Month in November
November is American Diabetes Month and the health care experts at Laughlin Center for Wound Care, a member of the Healogics network, are drawing attention to the fact that every hour seven people across the country lose a foot or leg to the disease, which is the leading cause of lower-limb amputations not caused by accidents. Diabetic patients are confronted with multiple challenges in the healing process. Not only is their circulation diminished, but they also have an impaired ability to sense the earliest stages of foot injury due to disease-associated nerve damage, said Scott Covington, MD, FACS, CHWS, Executive Vice President, Medical Affairs for Healogics, Inc., a network of academic medical centers, hospitals and professionals committed to advancing wound healing and addressing the problem of chronic wounds. According to the National Institutes of Health, nearly one in three people with diabetes ages 40 and older have at least one area on their feet that lacks feeling. Those at greater risk for nerve damage include diabetics who have difficulty controlling their blood sugar, high cholesterol, weight or blood pressure. Statistically, one in 20 diabetics will develop a wound on the legs or feet each year. The risk of amputations can be reduced by 45 to 85 percent through foot care programs that can include risk assessment, education, treatment of foot problems and referrals to specialists. State-of-the-art equipment and leading edge therapies are also playing a role in reducing the risk of amputation. Laughlin Center for Wound Care offers hyperbaric oxygen therapy, negative pressure wound therapy, bio-engineered skin substitutes, biological and biosynthetic dressings and growth factor therapies. The experts at Laughlin Center for Wound Care note the following as indications of problems diabetics may have with their legs and urge people to discuss symptoms they may have with their healthcare providers: pain in the legs or cramping in the buttocks, thighs or calves during physical activity; tingling, burning or painful feet; loss of sense of touch or the ability to feel heat or cold in the feet; changes in the shape, color or temperature of the feet; hair loss on the toes, feet and lower legs; dry or cracked skin on the feet; thick and yellow toenails or fungus infections between the toes; and blisters, sores, infected corns and ingrown toenails.

Physicians at Laughlin Center for Wound Care recommend people with diabetes manually inspect their feet each day and seek immediate attention if a lower extremity wound has increased pain, redness or swelling, foul wound odor, or a change in color or change in amount of drainage.

Center for Wound Care

A Member of the Healogics Network

1406 Tusculum Blvd. Suite 2004 Greeneville, TN 37745 423-783-5500

October/November 2013

TheLaughlin Wound Warrior Center for Wound Care

FACEBOOK CHALLENGE
Throughout the month of November, the American Diabetes Association is asking the community to submit a personal image to the Associations Facebook mosaic representing what A Day in the Life of Diabetes means to them to showcase the extraordinary effort it takes to live a day with diabetes. We encourage you to post images of yourself or someone you care about, or otherwise represent how the disease impacts your lives. The image will then make up a larger mosaic image that will embody the message of A Day in the Life of Diabetes and will be posted on their Facebook page. We also ask that you share your images with the wound care center for publication in our December Wound Warrior publication. The Facebook link for the Amercian Diabetes Association is (www.facebook.com/ AmericanDiabetesAssociation). To submit to the wound care center, simply send your image to rongobble@lmhcare.org. All submissions will receive a wound care gift and be entered to win a $50 gift certificate, just in time for the holidays. You only need to submit to the wound care center for prize entry, you are not required to do both. Your images will be included in a mosaic on Laughlins Facebook Page and also highlighted on their page throughout the month.
CONGRATULATIONS TO COURTNEY PATTERSON, WHO WON THE AUG/SEPT CROSSWORD CHALLENGE. COURTNEY WON A LAUGHLIN WOUND CARE GOODIE BAG!

AUGUST/SEPTEMBER- CROSSWORD CHALLENGE ANSWERS

ACROSS 2 THE GOLD STANDARD IN OFFLOADING - TCC 4 SKIN SUBSTITUTE FROM PROCESSED PLACENTA - EPIFIX 7 MEDICAL DIRECTOR - FLOHR 9 REMOVAL OF DEAD TISSUE - DEBRIDEMENT 10 GRADING SCALE - WAGNER 11 WOUND MANAGEMENT PARTNER - HEALOGICS 12 COMMONLY HAVE FOOT ULCERS - DIABETICS

DOWN 1 DIRECTOR - GOBBLE 3 EPIDERMAL GRAFTING - CELLUTOME 5 100% PRESSURIZED - HYPERBARIC 6 NEW WOUND CARE PHYSICIAN IN SEPTEMBER - NORTHROP 8 FRONT DESK - JOHNNIE

Johnnie Wisecarver, FOC presents Courtney Patterson with her Laughlin Bag.

Center for Wound Care

A Member of the Healogics Network

1406 Tusculum Blvd. Suite 2004 Greeneville, TN 37745 423-783-5500