HOCC Wound Care Centers Offer Unique Treatment for Diabetic Patients
The Hospital of Central Connecticut Advanced Wound Care and Hyperbaric Medicine Center in New Britain and Bristol were certified this year to provide state-of-the-art care for patients with diabetic foot ulcers.
Without proper treatment, diabetic foot ulcers can progress and cause such severe damage that lower-extremity amputation is required. Research shows that the most effective treatment is a hard cast applied to a patient’s lower leg to help reduce pressure and protect the patient’s foot, allowing the ulcer to heal.
However, fewer than four percent of eligible diabetic foot ulcers are treated with the cast technique because specialized training is needed to properly apply the cast.
Wound care clinicians in Bristol and New Britain received training provided by Integra Life Sciences on the proper application of the TCC EZ Total Contact Cast. The TCC EZ is a novel version of the cast, which allows users to quickly apply a cast to a diabetic foot ulcer patient. The EZ version allows the centers to treat up to four times as many patients with this potentially limb-sparing therapy.
Dr. Nicholas Verdura, board-certified general surgeon at HOCC, Chris Cavanna, PA-C, and wound care staff members, were certified after passing a comprehensive written exam and demonstrating hands-on cast application.
More than 30 million adults in the United States are living with diabetes, according to a 2017 report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). That is almost 9.5 percent of the U.S. population. One in four people with diabetes may develop a diabetic foot ulcer during their lifetime.