Also part of the UPMC family:
At UPMC Wound Healing Services at UPMC Mercy, we specialize in chronic wound care and limb preservation. Our doctors are at the forefront of advanced wound care treatment and research: they offer compassionate care that uses the latest technology and strategies to optimize healing, improve outcomes, and enhance the quality of life for patients with wounds that will not heal.
To schedule an appointment, call 412-232-5744 or request an appointment online.
Although we welcome self-referrals, your insurance plan may require a referral from your primary care doctor for coverage.
Part of UPMC Wound Healing Services, UPMC Mercy uses a comprehensive and coordinated approach to wound care and prevention. Our multidisciplinary team provides advanced, expert care for challenging nonhealing wounds and limb preservation. They include foot and ankle doctors (podiatrists), internists, vascular surgeons, plastic surgeons, and certified wound care nurses. We also bring in additional experts as needed in specializations such as pain management, neurology, and rehabilitation.
Our team creates an individualized plan of care focused on your needs and overall health. Our services include:
UPMC Mercy partners with your primary care doctor and other specialists who care for you, providing them with regular updates on your wound care treatment and progress.
Our patients benefit from sophisticated and advanced wound treatments. As one of UPMC’s pilot centers for biological clinical trials for cellular and tissue-based products, UPMC Mercy also offers first access to promising new treatments.
UPMC Wound Healing Services at UPMC Mercy follows the standard of care established by the Wound Healing Society, the premier scientific organization focused on wound healing.
Our streamlined and coordinated care approach eliminates the need to schedule appointments with multiple specialists in different locations. In-home care is available to qualifying patients through UPMC Home Health Services.
Nonhealing wounds can result from issues related to age, weight, hygiene, immobility, infection, nutrition, trauma, or surgery, and by medical conditions like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diabetes, kidney failure, or vascular disease. Chronic health problems, such as diabetes, significantly increase a person’s risk for nonhealing wounds. For example, many diabetics are often unaware of the severity of a wound due to neuropathy, a type of nerve damage that affects the sensation of feeling in the feet.
UPMC Wound Healing Services at UPMC Mercy provides treatment for nonhealing wounds at all stages, including management of very complex and severe cases, such as those involving possible amputation. Many area doctors and wound care centers refer their most serious patients to us for either a second consultation or advanced care.
We offer treatment for all types of nonhealing wounds, including:
The best treatment for a persistent or worsening wound is prompt care. Wounds that do not heal can quickly become serious health problems, and even lead to loss of limb. Talk with your doctor if you have a wound that has not significantly improved within four weeks, especially if the wound is deep or shows signs of infection, such as odor, redness, or swelling. Diabetics should seek immediate care for any sore or tender spot on the foot.
UPMC Wound Healing Services at UPMC Mercy offers advanced limb preservation techniques for patients with limb-threating conditions, such as cancer, diabetic foot infections, and peripheral arterial disease, and deformities. Delivered through UPMC Mercy Orthopaedic Care’s Foot and Ankle Program, this service reduces the need for amputation in many patients, and helps to preserve the greatest possible level of limb function for patients.
Techniques used include vascular microsurgery to open and connect arteries and veins, and tissue grafting (including bioengineered skin substitutes).
If these and other efforts are unsuccessful, our doctors can provide evaluation and the surgical expertise needed for amputation. Our wound care team works with both limb preservation and amputation patients post-surgery to assist in their healing and recovery, with the goal of achieving the greatest possible quality of life and activity level.
