DREXEL HILL, Pa. – The Center for Wound Healing and Hyperbaric Medicine at Delaware County Memorial Hospital (DCMH) recently added three new doctors to its panel of multidisciplinary specialists – Julia Siegerman, D.P.M., Dana Waters, D.P.M. and Michael K. McGarry Jr., M.D. Siegerman and Waters are podiatric surgeons who earned their medical degrees at Temple University’s School of Podiatric Medicine. They specialize in foot and ankle surgery. McGarry, an interventional radiologist who completed his fellowship at Christiana Care Health System in Newark, Del., has a special interest in limb salvage. He has extensive training in minimally invasive and state-of-the-art techniques that can help restore blood flow to ischemic extremities.
The Center for Wound Healing and Hyperbaric Medicine at DCMH’s physician panel is comprised of surgeons who are specially trained to treat and heal wounds. The panel is led by medical director Bruce Greenfield, D.P.M., a foot and ankle surgeon who specializes in treating wounds of the feet and legs. Other members of the physician panel include fellowship-trained podiatric surgeons Rhonda Cornell, D.P.M. (specializing in limb salvage), Marianne Peacock, D.P.M. and Andrew Teplica, D.P.M. DCMH Chief of General Surgery, David McCloskey, M.D., transplant surgeon Sunny Fink, M.D., infectious disease specialist Michael Kimzey, D.O., general surgeon Lawrence Mayer, M.D. and vascular surgeon Sai Sajja, M.D. round out the panel. Certified wound care nurses assist with the healing process.
Most chronic wounds stem from other health issues, such as diabetes and vascular problems. Foot ulcerations are one of the most common complications affecting patients with diabetes. One in four diabetic individuals will develop ulcers in the legs and feet. Roughly 85 percent of lower limb amputations in this patient population are the direct result of unhealed ulcers. It’s estimated that nearly 80,000 lower extremity amputations are performed each year in the United States on diabetic individuals, with an associated two-year treatment cost of more of than $90,000 per person.
This stresses the importance of an aggressive multidisciplinary approach to the management of patients with diabetic wounds. Frequently, the total care required for optimal outcome exceeds the resources that any single physician can provide. The Center for Wound Healing and Hyperbaric Medicine at DCMH provides a multidisciplinary approach to care and offers unique resources for patient evaluation and treatment in limb salvage.
For certain patients, Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) can be an important part of the treatment plan. This therapy is recommended in the American Diabetes Association’s treatment guidelines. HBOT introduces 100 percent oxygen into the bloodstream at a faster rate, which accelerates healing and allows for permanent closure of chronic wounds.
The Center for Wound Healing and Hyperbaric Medicine accepts private insurances and works with at-risk patients by assisting with financial plans, medical assistance and Medicare. The facility has also been recognized by Independence Blue Cross for lowest-cost services in the region.
For more information call 610-394-4770 or visitcrozerkeystone.org/Wound.
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Mary Wascavage
Director, Public Relations and Marketing | Delaware County Memorial Hospital & Taylor Hospital
