NYU Langone Medical Center announces opening of new wound healing center

NYU Langone Medical Center announces the opening of the new Helen L. and Martin S. Kimmel Hyperbaric and Advanced Wound Healing Center at 240 East 38th Street. One of only two Hyperbaric Centers in Manhattan providing treatment to patients with chronic non-healing wounds, patients now have access to surgical and non-surgical expertise within one location.

The state-of-the-art facility offers Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT), used to treat chronic and non-healing wounds such as diabetic foot ulcers, bone infection, soft tissue radiation injuries and carbon monoxide poisoning burns. For patients with inadequate circulation, poorly functioning veins and those who are immobile due to severe wounds or medical conditions, wound healing can be a critically important part of treatment.

The new Hyperbaric and Advanced Wound Healing Center is led by Ernest S. Chiu, MD, FACS, director of the Center and associate professor, Department of Plastic Surgery. Frank L. Ross, MD, FACS, associate director of the Center and assistant professor, Department of Surgery, is board certified in both General Surgery as well as Underseas & Hyperbaric Medicine. Both are full-time faculty members at NYU Langone Medical Center and have over 20 years of experience in the treatment of difficult wounds.

"Our multidisciplinary team of experts assesses each patient individually and by using cutting-edge surgical and non-surgical techniques, helps to ensure patients do not needlessly suffer from non-healing wounds," said Dr. Chiu.

"The consequences of not treating unhealed wounds can be serious and potentially devastating, even resulting in the loss of limbs. With the use of specialized techniques including our new hyperbaric oxygen therapy chambers, we help support our patients return to a normal, healthy lifestyle," Dr. Ross said. "We've already seen tremendous results and a significant change in the quality of life for our patients. With the opening of this new center, we believe we can continue to make this a reality."

Tissue in the body needs an adequate supply of oxygen to function, and when injured, requires greater levels of oxygen to survive. The facility provides individual monoplace units where patients lay in a pressurized chamber with 100 percent pure oxygen, which helps to deliver high concentrations of oxygen to the bloodstream. The increased oxygen carried throughout the body promotes healing and helps fight infection, thereby accelerating the wound regenerative process.

Impaired wound repair occurs most frequently in the elderly and in diabetic patients. The Center focuses on advanced techniques to ensure that diabetic patients with open wounds are given treatments to prevent limb amputation, one of the most devastating complications of diabetes.