Emergency Services for Wound Care in the Sacramento Region

Wound care is a specialty of health care that focuses on treating wounds that won’t heal. You will find this service in our state-of-the-art emergency departments at Dignity Health. Our team of experienced health care providers, including doctors and nurses, will work with you to provide exceptional care based on your symptoms and health needs.

If you are in need of wound care in Sacramento or a surrounding area, Dignity Health can provide advanced emergency treatment, then recommend a specialist or communicate with your primary care doctor to ensure comprehensive treatment. Call 911 immediately for an emergency or use our online waiting service, InQuicker™, to select an estimated arrival time at one of our emergency rooms.

Types of Wounds Treated at Dignity Health

Serious wounds can take weeks or months to heal. In some cases, wounds can be very resistant to the healing process and may never completely heal. Our wound care typically treats non-healing wounds, such as pressure sores, sores from radiation exposure, and foot ulcers.

Other possible types of wounds that need our wound care services include:

• Cuts or lacerations
• Surgical wounds
• Burns
• Infected skin ulcers
• Trauma wounds
• Venous stasis ulcers or leg or ankle wounds caused by poorly functioning veins

Wound Care Procedures

For major wounds, the first step in treating a wound is often applying first aid. This involves stopping any bleeding, cleaning the wound, and closing it if possible.

However, non-healing wounds require a different approach. Our emergency room staff offers a variety of wound care treatments and procedures including:

• Compression to improve blood flow and promote healing
• Artificial skin to act like skin and cover the wound while it heals
• Negative pressure therapy to promote healing by creating a vacuum over the wound with a special dressing
• Debridement to remove dead tissue and allow healthy tissue to begin healing
• Ultrasound to promote healing using sound waves
• Hyperbaric oxygen therapy to increase the amount of oxygen your blood can carry to the wound to promote healing
• Growth factor therapy to stimulate cell growth and healing

What to Expect from Emergency Wound Care

Some wound care treatments, such as hyperbaric oxygen treatment, need to take place at our wound care center. Others, such as compression, you use on a more continuous basis at home. Your expert wound care team at Dignity Health is available for questions and concerns.

However, you should seek prompt medical care for the following:

• Worsening pain
• Bleeding
• Redness, swelling or pus
• Fever or chills

We can help find the right treatment for your wound and get you back to your normal activities.