at Saratoga Hospital
The program provides advanced wound healing services for open wounds that are showing little to no improvement. Our wound healing team typically sees wound patients who have multiple other conditions, such as diabetes, poor circulation, nerve damage or other concerns.
We serve patients of all ages seeking relief from minor burns, delayed radiation skin injuries due to cancer treatments, surgical wound reopening, wounds associated with lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, and scleroderma (autoimmune disorders), as well as diabetic foot ulcers, pressure injuries (bed sores) and venous leg ulcers (often caused by venous insufficiency, a condition where the flow of blood through the veins is inadequate, causing blood to pool in the legs leading to swelling and ulceration of the skin).
Hyperbaric Medicine
Among other services and conditions, our practice provides a significant level of expertise in some of the less common wound types, such as those caused by medical (cancer) radiation therapy, autoimmune disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus and scleroderma, and surgical wound dehiscence (opening of a previously closed surgical wound).
Lee Ruotsi, MD, leads our team as the medical director of Saratoga Hospital Medical Group – Wound Healing, bringing 15 years of wound healing and hyperbaric medicine experience. He is certified in Wound Care by the American Board of Wound Medicine and Surgery as well as the American Board of Wound Management, and is board certified in Undersea and Hyperbaric Medicine by the American Board of Preventive Medicine. He lectures and teaches nationally and internationally on topics related to wound care and hyperbaric medicine, sits on the board of directors of the National Pressure Injury Advisory Panel and is faculty on the Wound Certification Prep Course. Dr. Ruotsi and his team are committed to providing compassionate individualized care, working closely with primary care and other specialists as needed. If you think a wound healing specialist is right for you, talk with your doctor about a referral or give us a call.
"If you have an open wound that isn’t getting better, I encourage you to visit us. You will be treated with dignity and respect along with our commitment to identifying a solution that will restore your comfort and quality of life to the greatest extent possible. We will work closely with your other health care providers to assure the best individualized plan of care.”To view a list of all of our providers, please click here.
Hayley Hunt, PA-C
Lee Ruotsi, MD, ABWMS, CWS-P, UHM
For location specific information, please click below.
While skin grafts from the patient’s own skin are preferable for certain types of wounds and burns, bio-engineered tissues and cells are available as well. These may be made up of synthetic, non-human, donated human tissue, or a composite of these various materials and tissues. We will discuss all of your options with you, and answer any questions you may have, in the process of designing the best possible treatment plan for you and your wound.
Saratoga Hospital Center for Wound Healing and Hyperbaric Medicine
Proper dressing management is essential to the protection and healing of chronic wounds. Our team will make dressing selections based on the unique needs of your wound as well as any other preexisting conditions you may have.
Saratoga Hospital Center for Wound Healing and Hyperbaric Medicine
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is a painless, noninvasive healing method that allows the patient to breathe air containing a high concentration of oxygen. The additional oxygen stimulates the healing process. The patient simply relaxes in a hyperbaric oxygen chamber for a specified number of sessions over time, as determined by the level of tissue damage needing repair and the wound healing specialist. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is also used for anaerobic metabolism conditions, which are cases where the lungs cannot deliver enough oxygen through the bloodstream, and decompression sickness, also known as “the bends.”
Saratoga Hospital Center for Wound Healing and Hyperbaric Medicine
Compression bandages and sleeves are used to apply around the clock pressure to effectively treat the swelling associated with poor venous circulation and the associated wounds.
Saratoga Hospital Center for Wound Healing and Hyperbaric Medicine
The most important step in the healing of a diabetic foot ulcer is relieving pressure from the wound while walking. Total contact casting (TCC) is considered the “gold standard” in this offloading process. This helps the patient remain mobile while allowing the ulcer to heal.
Saratoga Hospital Center for Wound Healing and Hyperbaric Medicine
In the process of wound healing, it is essential to remove damaged or dying tissue to promote the growth of new healthy tissue. Our debridement services may be provided with an instrument such as a scalpel, and in some cases with an ultrasound instrument. In any case, your comfort during the procedure will be of paramount importance. These techniques are especially helpful in the healing process for diabetic foot ulcers, venous leg ulcers and pressure injuries (bed sores).
Saratoga Hospital Center for Wound Healing and Hyperbaric Medicine
Negative pressure wound therapy (sometimes referred to as “Wound Vac”) is a treatment in which an airtight dressing is applied over a wound and then connected to a small pump which provides a constant vacuum force to the wound bed. This process removes excess fluid from the wound and directly stimulates the growth of new tissue.
Saratoga Hospital Center for Wound Healing and Hyperbaric Medicine
