We’ve all had our share of bruises, breaks, cuts and scrapes that hurt and eventually heal. But that is not the case for more than 6.7 million Americans who deal with chronic, non-healing wounds as a result of cancer treatment, surgical procedures, burns, trauma, diabetes, vascular disease, and a host of other conditions. With costs to treat wounds exceeding 50 billion dollars annually in the US, awareness campaigns like June’s National Wound Care Month is bringing this growing epidemic to the forefront in an effort to increase support for more research and treatments for so many who suffer.

Joining us to shed light on wound care and ways to provide help for those who need healing are: Alisha Oropallo, MD, a vascular surgeon with certification in wound care and associate professor of surgery at the Zucker School of Medicine and medical director of the Comprehensive Wound Care Center at Northwell Health, and Mary Brennan, RN, board certified in wound and ostomy care and assistant director of Wound and Ostomy Care at North Shore University Hospital-Northwell Health where she is also associate director of nursing education.

Resources:

National Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel

US National Library of Medicine

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Wound, Ostomy, Continence Nursing

Society of Vascular Surgery