Wound Healing

As part of UT Southwestern's Wound Program, our state-of-the-art Wound Care Clinic focuses exclusively on providing advanced care for wounds. Our team of highly experienced physicians (surgeons and nonsurgeons) and nurses uses a comprehensive range of treatment options to help wounds heal faster and prevent them from recurring.

UTSW is committed to providing exceptional treatments for complex and nonhealing wounds on any part of the body, including those caused by diabetes, vascular disease, pressure, and other health concerns.

Patient-Focused, Evidence-Based Wound Care in Dallas

Complex and nonhealing wounds can negatively affect patients’ quality of life and disrupt daily activities. Not only are they painful – they can be extremely dangerous. Whether a wound is the result of radiation, traumatic injury, infection, disease (such as diabetes), or another condition, it requires timely and effective care, particularly when amputation is a possibility.

The specialists at UT Southwestern’s Wound Care Clinic are internationally recognized leaders at the forefront of an organization that sets the standards for wound care. Our experts have published more than 500 medical publications and have received every major award in wound healing.

Our Dallas team is actively engaged in discoveries to expand effective treatment solutions and provide the best possible care to all patients. Many of the latest options to heal wounds are available only at UT Southwestern.

Our multidisciplinary team includes experts in physical medicine, podiatric surgery, vascular surgery, and plastic surgery. We use the newest technologies and therapies available – some of which were evaluated and introduced by our very own physicians – to heal wounds, salvage limbs, improve function, and reduce scarring. We also have prosthetists and orthotists who can provide solutions in custom prosthetics, braces, inserts, and shoes to prevent wound formation and recurrence.

Conditions UTSW Treats With Wound Care

We offer evaluation and personalized care for a variety of complex and nonhealing wounds, such as:

• Arterial and venous wounds
• Atypical ulcers such as pyoderma gangrenosum, calciphylaxis, hidradenitis suppurativa, bulbous pemphigoid, and vasculopathies
• Burns
• Complex abdominal wounds
• Diabetic ulcers
• Enterocutaneous fistulas
• Extremity wounds with edema or lymphedema
• Gangrene or tissue death
• Mohs surgery nonhealing wounds
• Nonhealing surgical wounds
• Ostomy and fistula care
• Pressure injuries
• Radiation wounds
• Skin tears
• Surgical incisions
• Traumatic injury wounds
• Venous ulcers
• Wounds occurring after cancer treatments

Symptoms of Nonhealing Wounds

Patients should contact UT Southwestern’s wound care team if they have a wound that:

• Has not healed or is healing very slowly
• Continues to bleed, seep, or drain
• Is infected, or the area around it is red, warm, swollen, or painful

Advanced Treatments for All Types of Wounds

We first pinpoint the reasons a wound is not healing, evaluating all aspects of the patient’s medical history and medications. Then, our specialists in physical medicine and rehabilitation, plastic surgery, vascular surgery, and podiatric surgery collaborate to optimize a treatment plan based on the overall health care needs of each patient. We also believe in research and offer innovative therapies not available anywhere else.

We have specialized wound equipment and provide the full spectrum of care and support for every patient using a comprehensive range of interventions and tests, such as:

• Bioengineered skin substitutes, using cell-based tissues that protect the wound and increase healing
• Dietary and nutrition consultations, because studies show that wound healing takes longer in people who have a diet lacking in essential nutrients
• Hyperbaric oxygen therapy, in which a patient is bathed in 100% oxygen at above-atmospheric pressures, increasing the amount of oxygen in the blood and promoting healing
• Minimally invasive surgery, traditional open surgery, and surgery that combines both approaches
• Plastic surgical techniques, which can be done in place of amputations, can reduce scarring, and can help restore function, such as tissue transfer, skin grafts, and microsurgery
• Specialized dressings and therapies, such as gels, collagen, foams, growth factors, and other materials that promote wound healing
• Transcutaneous oxygen testing, which tells physicians whether the tissues surrounding a wound are getting enough oxygen
• Vascular surgery to help restore blood flow and promote healing
• Prosthetics and orthotics consultations to improve function

After a wound heals, additional plastic surgery techniques can also be performed to reduce scarring and help restore function.

Support Services

Effective at-home care can have a significant impact on wound recovery. As a result, personalized support and patient education are key parts of the support our team provides. Our support services include:

• Convenient access to world-class care at UT Southwestern for any health issue affecting a wound
• Exceptional patient education on topics such as how proper nutrition encourages healing and prevents wounds from recurring
• Individualized rehabilitation support
• Recommendations for specialized equipment, such as beds
• Recommendations for specialized supplies, such as ostomy equipment and pouches

Clinical Trials

UT Southwestern conducts clinical trials that offer patients access to wound care treatments and research that is highly specialized and groundbreaking. Talk to our doctors to see if a clinical trial is available.