Complex Wound Care
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Michael Todd Wood, MD, FACS
Board Certified General Surgeon & Complex Wound Care located in Houston, TX & Sugar Land, TX
People seldom worry about a cut because healing is such a natural process. But sometimes, a wound doesn’t heal, putting you at risk of serious infections. That’s when you need complex wound care from Michael Todd Wood, MD. Dr. Wood has extensive experience treating all types of complex wounds using advanced dressings, skin substitutes, and other therapies that accelerate healing. If you have an injury that doesn’t heal or gets infected, don’t wait to seek medical care. Call the office in Sugar Land or Houston, Texas, or book an appointment online today.
Complex Wound Care Q & A
What is complex wound care?
A complex wound develops when the damaged tissues fail to heal within four weeks. Any type of wound can turn into a serious, non-healing challenge, whether it begins as a cut, abrasion, ulcer, surgical incision, or burn.
The most common complex wounds include:
- Diabetic foot ulcers
- Venous insufficiency ulcers
- Arterial ulcers
- Pressure wounds
- Complicated surgical wounds
- Moisture-associated wounds
Non-healing wounds won’t improve on their own. In many cases, the damage keeps enlarging and becomes infected. Complex wound care includes all the advanced therapies needed to promote healing.
What risk factors lead to complex wounds?
Your risk for a non-healing wound increases if you have any of the following:
Infection
Wounds can’t heal after an infection develops. Instead, the infection breaks down the tissues and leads to complications like an abscess.
Poor blood supply
Blood delivers everything a wound needs for healing, including oxygen, nutrients, stem cells, and proteins like growth factors. Any condition that restricts circulation impairs wound healing and may cause tissue death.
Underlying health conditions
Chronic, complex wounds develop when an underlying health condition interferes with healing. This problem often occurs due to:
- Diabetes
- Chronic venous insufficiency
- Blocked artery
- Suppressed immune system
- Prior injury in the same area
Your risk also increases if the wound sustains pressure or changes in temperature and moisture.
Extensive skin loss
Extensive skin loss significantly affects wound healing and requires aggressive wound care.
Wound-related complications
Problems like dermatitis, edema, and a hematoma (blood buildup) may develop and slow down healing. Serious complications of a non-healing wound include bone infections and tissue death (gangrene).
What should I expect during complex wound care?
Complex wounds require a multifaceted approach that deals with any underlying conditions and directly treats the wound. Dr. Wood may treat some underlying conditions, while other conditions like vascular disease need treatment from a specialist.
Dr. Wood specializes in complex wound care using treatments such as:
- Debridement (removing dead and infected tissues)
- Infection control (antibiotic and antifungal medications)
- Nutritional counseling (dietary modifications and supplements)
- Off-loading (orthotics, casts, and other techniques to remove pressure)
- Negative pressure wound therapy
- Scaffolds (deliver drugs and cells)
- Tissue-based therapies
- Skin substitutes
- Advanced dressings
Dr. Wood may also use an innovative skin substitute called WoundFix®, a thin amniotic membrane that promotes healing and reduces inflammation and scarring.
Don’t wait to get help for a non-healing wound. Call Dr. Michael Todd Wood or book your appointment online today.
