If you have a wound that has not healed, consider seeking help from Dr. Sasmor, the Medical Director of the National Wound Care Healing Corporation at AJH, in conjunction with the AJH Wound Healing Center. Together, they have established an impressive record of healing wounds that others thought hopeless, including many that might have required amputation. Our carefully researched methods allow patients to receive state-of-the art treatment of wounds that have resisted healing despite months, or even years of conventional treatment. AJH Honored Nationally for Advances in Wound Care With an outstanding record of patient care in nine key areas, the Wound Healing Center at Anna Jaques Hospital in Newburyport was honored with the "Best Overall Clinical Indicators Award" from National Healing Corporation (NHC), a leader in disease management which provides management services and the latest technology and expertise in wound healing to Anna Jaques Hospital and other client hospitals nationwide.

Wound Healing Receives National Award (PDF) Hospital Aid Association Mades $60,000 Donation (PDF)

The winners of the annual NHC awards are based on data from clinical measures reported from its centers, which account for 20 percent of the nation's managed and outsourced wound healing centers. Bestowing the awards, NHC CEO James Patrick said "The advances made by the Wound Healing Center at Anna Jaques Hospital not only makes a tremendous difference in the lives of its patients but also helps us refine our best practices treatment methods so that our centers around the country can deliver care more effectively." Newburyport resident Dr. Michele Sasmor, medical director at the Wound Healing Center, and Clinical Manager Merriann DeTeso, RN, BSN accepted the award. The Wound Healing Center at Anna Jaques Hospital opened its doors in 2001 specializing in the treatment of chronic wounds and non-responsive conditions and offering hospital-based outpatient wound care and hyperbaric oxygen therapy.

Your Treatment Program
Before beginning treatment, the wound healing doctors and nurses will evaluate your wound and review your medical history and general health. You may have special tests to provide us with important information.

On your first visit, please bring a list of your current medications and your allergies. We also need your records, including x-rays (if available) and current insurance forms and/or cards. This will simplify your registration. We treat only your wounds, so you will continue to see your primary care physician for your complete medical care. We inform your doctor about your treatment program and your progress.

Some of the conditions we treat:
• Diabetic foot ulcers
• Lower leg ulcers
• Pressure ulcers
• Bone infections (osteomyelitis)
• Soft tissue infections
• Radiation burn
• Gangrene

Hyperbaric Medicine

Hyperbaric medicine is a medical treatment administered by delivering 100 percent oxygen at pressures greater than atmospheric (sea level) pressure to a patient in an enclosed chamber. The hyperbaric chamber is a steel, aluminum, or clear plastic room in which air can be compressed to a pressure that is greater than sea level. Most patients are treated at a pressure equivalent to two or two and a half times normal atmospheric pressure. Chambers can have port holes (small windows) or be made of a special thick strong plastic shell. They can be equipped with comfortable reclining chairs or patients can stretch out to a completely flat position. To enhance patient comfort, music or movies can be played during treatments which are usually provided through a headset or an interior speaker. Whenever the chamber is in use, medical personnel trained in hyperbarics are in constant contact via visual or audio communications.

Hyperbaric oxygen acts as a drug, eliciting varying levels of response at different treatment depths, durations, and dosages and has been proven effective as adjunctive therapy for specifically indicated conditions. The following is a partial list of conditions that have been determined to be acceptable indications for hyperbaric oxygen therapy by Medicare, the Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society (UHMS), and the American College of Hyperbaric Medicine (ACHM).

It is important to note that each organization has its own list of approved indications and the following list is a combination of those lists and not an approved list from any one organization listed here. In most cases, medical insurance carriers (including Medicare and Medicaid) provide coverage for hyperbaric oxygen therapy:

Acute / Emergent
-Cyanide/Carbon monoxide poisoning
-Cerebral arterial gas embolism
-Exceptional blood loss-anemia
-Necrotizing soft tissue
-Gangrene
-Crush injury
-Thermal burns
-Brown Recluse spider bite

Chronic
-Actinomycosis
-Enhancement of healing in selected problem wounds
-Compromised skin graft flaps
-Radiation necrosis
-Refractory osteomyelitis
-Refractory mycoses
-Chronic fatigue (in HIV)

See also Hyperbaric Therapy - Wound Care for more info

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