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HEALING CHRONIC WOUNDS
Approximately five million Americans develop chronic wounds that despite treatment just won’t heal. But there is an advanced treatment option that can help—hyperbaric
oxygen therapy (HBOT).

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is usually used to help with bone infections, complications of radiotherapy, and chronic/non-healing wounds like those from diabetes. Patients have wounds that have proven slow or unresponsive to treatment. With HBOT, oxygen is delivered at a level greater than atmospheric pressure to hasten healing. HBOT is non-invasive and is delivered as a complement to other wound care treatment.

“The price of an unhealed wound can be high,” says Dr. Gary Breitbart, a vascular surgeon at Muhlenberg Regional Medical Center in Plainfield. Dr. Breitbart helped
found the Wound Care Center last year. “When a wound doesn’t heal, limbs can be at risk and quality of life compromised.” The Wound Care Center strives to make sure that does not happen.

Wounds can resist treatment for a number of reasons: diabetes, compromised blood flow, infection, inadequate or poor nutrition, unusual pressure, chronic swelling..all
can play a part.

Beverly Howard, RN, RVS, manager of cardiovascular diagnostics, comments, “Some wounds are simply beyond the scope of treatment available through primary care services. That’s when it is time to take treatment to the next level.”

Patients with non-healing wounds, diabetic foot ulcers, chronic venous stasis ulcers, decubitus ulcers, ulcers secondary to poor circulation, radiation induced bone and soft tissue injuries, chronic osteomyelitis, necrotizing soft tissue injuries, and compromised skin flaps are examples of cases seen and treated at the Center.

At the Wound Care Center, patients can access wound specialists and advanced treatment options, including: medical and surgical care, growth factors, negative pressure therapy, bioengineered skin substitutes, orthotics and off-loading devices (such as braces and special shoes), advanced wound dressing materials, and hyperbaric oxygen therapy.

Says Howard, “Having such advanced capabilities here in Plainfield gives patients the benefit of having comprehensive, specialized treatment close to home so they don’t
have to travel a distance to receive the care they need.”

Dr. Breitbart describes successful treatment as a joy. “The greatest thrill is seeing a patient who came in for treatment with an extensive wound, leave with it completely
healed. They came to you feeling like treatment had failed them and leave having achieved success they thought was beyond their reach.”

MUHLENBERG FOUNDATION DRIVES CHARITABLE GIVING
Muhlenberg Regional Medical Center has changed dramatically over the past 130 years, though it continues to grow the very same way it began — with heart. Plainfield’s first and only hospital emerged from the efforts of seven volunteers who were deeply touched by a local train accident in 1876. After a physician was compelled to perform surgery by candlelight at a nearby freight house, these individuals set out to build a community hospital by raising funds from their neighbors, friends and other philanthropists who cared about the health and well-being of area families.

That genuine benevolence remains at the heart of the Muhlenberg Foundation today, driving its sole mission of supporting Muhlenberg Regional Medical Center through charitable giving. Perhaps there is no better example of this than the Diabetes Center of New Jersey, which is funded almost entirely by philanthropic contributions, participation in events such as the annual Foundation Classic golf outing and Viva Solaris — Casino Night, grants and other donations. Recently, Ronald McDonald House Charities, responding to the alarming rise of type 2 diabetes among adolescents, awarded an unprecedented grant of $60,000 to help the Diabetes Center continue and expand its SHARK (Screening Helps At Risk Kids) Program. Designed to detect, delay and prevent type 2 diabetes in youths between 10 and 14 years of age, SHARK is believed to be the first and only initiative of its kind in New Jersey, possibly sparking a national crusade to protect children from the ravages of undiagnosed diabetes.

Another cause for which the Muhlenberg Foundation has generated considerable support is addressing the shortage of nurses afflicting not only Union County, but New Jersey and the nation as a whole. Supported by generous donations to its Capital Campaign, Pride in Our Past – Commitment To Our Future, Muhlenberg is nearing completion of its new Harold B. and Dorothy A. Snyder Schools of Nursing, Medical Imaging and Therapeutic Sciences, which will feature modernized classrooms,
laboratories and dormitories to increase enrollment and enhance the educational experience for aspiring health professionals. (For more information about this exciting project, see the main article in this section.)

Campaign funds will also be used to renovate and equip the Heath and Raoul Pantaleoni Emergency Pavilion. The renovations will provide:

• A Pediatric Emergency Room that offers a more nurturing environment for children
• More private and comfortable treatment areas for all patients
• A Fast-Track suite for non-urgent conditions
• A multi-lingual Family Education Center
• A Community Crisis Center serving Central New Jersey

These improvements, combined with equipment upgrades like electronic cardiac monitoring and computerized bedside monitoring, will improve efficiency and enhance patient satisfaction.

In the fall, the Muhlenberg Foundation will celebrate the successful conclusion of its Capital Campaign having surpassed its goal by raising a grand total of $12,096,000. Generous donations, through foundation grants, corporate contributions and gifts from individual donors made this feat possible, and more importantly, have helped to
provide the resources necessary to build a health care institution that is poised to provide the community with leading edge care.

Looking ahead, the Muhlenberg Foundation has taken on new priorities that support Muhlenberg’s commitment to exceptional, high quality health care. Topping the list are the Intensive Care Unit and Diagnostic Imaging, two areas in need of modernized facilities and equipment to keep pace with 21st century innovation.

Muhlenberg’s Critical Care Department assumes the responsibility of treating patients with complex and life-threatening illnesses. At its core is a Medical/Surgical Intensive Care Unit (ICU) that admits over 500 patients annually, most of whom are elderly and recuperating from major surgery and/or suffering from such conditions as respiratory distress, renal failure, stroke and severe infections. The ICU modernization project will incorporate several progressive technologies, including a PRISMA machine that allows dialysis for patients unable to withstand conventional therapy and computerized “smart beds” that promote patient safety and comfort. The initiative will also provide a training lab for ongoing staff education.

Another cornerstone in Muhlenberg’s pursuit of clinical excellence is Diagnostic Imaging. As one of its busiest hubs, the Hospital’s Radiology Department performs nearly 31,000 diagnostic procedures each year, providing physicians with essential information to detect disease and determine the best pathway to recovery. The
Muhlenberg Foundation has set a goal to raise $1,140,000 to purchase digital radiography technology, a major breakthrough that promises to revolutionize the Hospital’s diagnostic capabilities. The addition will enhance image quality, reduce radiation exposure, expedite testing and results and facilitate better communication among technologists, physicians and patients.

For more information about the Muhlenberg Foundation and how you can help to support any of the above initiatives, please call us at 908-668-2025.

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