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GBMC Opens Expanded & Renovated  Wound Care Center and Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Unit

BALTIMORE – October 31, 2005 – Care for patients suffering from chronic, non-healing wounds enters a new phase as Greater Baltimore Medical Center announces the opening of the newly expanded Wound Care Center®  and Hyperbaric Oxygen (HBO) Therapy unit.  A grand opening celebration, ribbon cutting and tour of the new facility will be held on Wednesday, Nov. 2, 12 p.m.-2 p.m. and 5 p.m.-7:30 p.m.

Offering a comprehensive interdisciplinary approach to wound care in an outpatient setting, this newly combined facility adds five additional treatment rooms (to the 10 existing rooms), a  fourth mono-place oxygen chamber (with the capability of adding two more in the future)  and a larger waiting area, all designed to ensure a continuum of care and allow for a more comfortable patient experience.  Previously, wound care and HBO treatments were given in separate areas, each of which was operating at maximum capacity.

“Patients will benefit from improved disease management, a continuum of wound care services, more integrated and convenient care and decreased waiting times,” said Dale Buchbinder, M.D., GBMC’s chairman of surgery and Medical Director of the GBMC Wound Care Center®.  In FY 2005, the Wound Care Center® experienced a 13 percent increase in patient visits (10,442 total) and an 8 percent growth in new patients (1,178 total).

The GBMC Wound Care Center®, in its 14^th year serving the community, has treated more than 11,000 patients.  Staffed with 18 physicians, the GBMC Wound Care Center®  is the largest facility in the national  Curative Health Services network and its “days to heal” average of 28 days far exceeds the industry standard rate for wound care of 45 days. Curative pioneered its innovative approach to treating chronic non-healing wounds in 1988 and has evolved, using advanced therapeutic technologies and best-in-class, proven clinical protocols, into a wound care management program that has treated more than 1,000,000 wounds.

“Having wound care and hyperbaric medicine side by side will allow patients to more easily  access medical experts across both services,” added Daniel John, M.D., GBMC’s chief of hyperbaric medicine, noting between 15 and 20 percent of an estimated five million wound care patients in the United States typically could benefit from HBO treatment in addition to traditional wound care therapies.  More than 3,200 hyperbaric treatments were administered at GBMC during FY 2005 and the unit saw more than 135 new patients. HBO treatments  deliver 100 percent oxygen in an enclosed chamber at greater than atmospheric pressure, which dissolves into the plasma of blood circulation and stimulates healing by preserving tissues, increasing blood vessel formation and controlling infections.

Kirby Decheubel of Essex has a personal experience with both wound care and hyperbaric medicine treatments at GBMC and says the clinicians are a “godsend.”  This summer, Decheubel was admitted to GBMC after a referral from his podiatrist, who diagnosed a necrotizing soft tissue infection (commonly known as “flesh eating disease”) on his right foot, causing two toes to be amputated. Decheubel spent two hours a day in a hyperbaric chamber for treatment, and saw a variety of specialists, including a podiatrist, vascular surgeon, and an endocrinologist, each focusing on a different aspect of his care.  Now healed, Decheubel credits his family and the support and treatment received at GBMC for his recovery.

Audrey Londeree of Lutherville injured her leg when she walked into a fire hydrant, and was treated in GBMC’s Emergency Department.  About a month later when her wound was not healing, she consulted with a vascular surgeon and a plastic surgeon at the  GBMC Wound Care Center®.  Londeree, a patient for 27 weeks, was fitted with unnas boots on both legs to control edema and also received a specialized skin graft.  “I was so happy with my treatment and am glad to now have my wounds healed.” 

About GBMC
GBMC includes Greater Baltimore Medical Center (GBMC), Central Maryland’s leading community hospital; Hospice of Baltimore, which provides comfort and care to patients with life-limiting illnesses; the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Community Health Center, which offers comprehensive health and family services to the residents of East Baltimore; and the GBMC Foundation, which supports the GBMC mission by managing fundraising efforts.  The 300-bed Medical Center, located on a beautiful suburban campus, serves nearly 22,000 inpatients annually and provides approximately 50,000 emergency room visits. For more information, go to www.gbmc.org. 

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