Patients with chronic wounds — those lasting more than four weeks — can benefit from products available at Emerson’s Center for Advanced Wound Care. EpiCord, a thick membrane derived from human umbilical cord, provides a protective environment for healing. EpiFix, bioactive tissue composed of dehydrated human amnion/chorion membrane, serves as a skin substitute.
According to Nathan Narasimhan, MD, an Emerson plastic surgeon who treats patients at the center, EpiCord and EpiFix have taken off during the past few years. “They each have important roles to play, because they represent an adjunct to traditional wound care,” he notes. “These products have changed how we approach wound care, and they are examples of what sets apart wound care in a specialized center versus what is available in the primary care setting. We initiate EpiCord or EpiFix treatment when healing has stalled, and we then follow the patient longitudinally.”
EpiCord is useful for deeper wounds, where it is effective at filling in tunnels, Dr. Narasimhan explains. EpiFix often has a role in healing shallower surface wounds. Patients with diabetes, chronic venous hypertension or congestion, pressure injuries or compromised or diminished blood flow to the legs are all vulnerable for chronic wounds.
In April 2018, Diana Cuypers, RN, BSN, joined the wound center as program operations director. Her previous experience includes working at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in several areas, including the medical intensive care unit and neuroscience floor, and on the hospital’s Patient Education Committee. She recently worked at the World Health Organization Kobe Centre in Kobe, Japan.
For more information please contact the Center for Advanced Wound Care at 978-287-8550.
Photo caption: Physicians at the Center for Advanced Wound Care, including Sandra Weakland, DPM, are using a new generation of products to speed healing.
