Treating radiation injuries

Hospital's Wound Care Center a local option

Registered nurse Patrice Wickman is the clinical coordinator at the Comprehensive Wound Healing Center at East Georgia Regional Medical Center and is trained in using the hyberbaric chamber. The chamber allows the patient to be surrounded with 100 percent oxygen in a pressurized environment to accelerate healing.

040113 BIZ WOUND CENTER 01 — Registered nurse Patrice Wickman is the clinical coordinator at the Comprehensive Wound Healing Center at East Georgia Regional Medical Center and is trained in using the hyberbaric chamber. The chamber allows the patient to be surrounded with 100 percent oxygen in a pressurized environment to accelerate healing.

Local cancer patients experiencing serious side effects from radiation therapy have a place they can go for treatment: the Comprehensive Wound Healing Center at East Georgia Regional Medical Center.During April, which is National Cancer Control Month, East Georgia Regional is working to raise awareness about radiation injuries. The hospital’s wound center is a member of the Healogics network of wound care centers that specialize in treating radiation injuries."Radiation doesn’t differentiate between cancerous and healthy tissue," said Scott Covington, MD, FACS, CHWS, executive vice president of medical affairs for Healogics. "Radiation causes a lack of oxygen in the body's tissues but visible symptoms of soft tissue radiation injury may not occur until as much as 20 years later.