Wound Care at Home – Wound VAC

It is important to give the right care to a wound, whether it is surgical or not. All wounds can be seen as clean or dirty. Clean wounds are the surgical insertions, either big or small. They are still considered a wound because the skin surface is damaged. And wherever there is skin damage – there can be infection. The second, dirty type, are all other kinds of injuries. These are never septic and should be given an extra care and attention.
The bigger the wound the more attention it needs. Even when after leaving the hospital, some wounds need specialized medical care and attention and cannot be treated at home without a certified professional. It is especially true for people with diabetes or when the wounds are very large and cannot heal on their own.

The solutions for these hard conditions can be the following:

• Not leaving the hospital until the wound is healed or at least partially healed and the improvement is steady. This can be very expensive depending on the hospital and the rates.
• Heal at home and go to the hospital as often as the doctor has prescribed to dress the wound and check its healing process. This type is less expensive and more convenient from the point that we all would rather stay at home for recovery around people we love and care about. The downfall of this solution is that sometimes the wound seriousness and location does not permit a lot of moving and if it occurs – it brings pain and interferes with the healing process.
• Using home care and the services of skilled nurses. This is a very convenient way to treat wounds and make sure they are healing properly. And it is still cheaper than spending days at the hospital. This solution is usually the best suitable one and this is why it is recommended in most cases. There are a lot of home health agencies almost in any area and a lot of them provide home care and physical therapy and a range of other in-home health services. For wound treatment it is important to find those that are certified and accredited.

Joint Commission Accreditation is a trustworthy sign that a home health care agency provides high standard level of care.

Skilled nurses from such agencies will provide the necessary wound care including supervision and dressing and if necessary apply the Wound VAC (vacuum assisted closure). Wound VAC or wound vacuum is a device that when attached to the wound helps faster healing. It drains fluid from the wound into the canister and also gives a patient a feeling of wholesomeness where the wound is. In cases where the wound doesn’t heal by itself using a vacuum-assisted closure is absolutely unavoidable. This device is quite costly and not all home health providers have it. So, make sure you inquire about one when making a first phone call. Comfort Assisting Home Health Care Agency (Walnut Creek, CA) has several in its inventory and has them readily available to its patients for a faster recovery.