Welcome to Kent Hospital Comprehensive Wound Healing and Hyperbaric Medicine Center. We’re dedicated to healing wounds, preventing lower limb loss and optimizing outcomes for our patients. If you or a loved one has a wound that is of concern or is not healing properly, we encourage you to visit the wound center for an evaluation.
A wound that is not healing properly may be complicated by underlying conditions such as diabetes, circulation problems or previous radiation treatment. Sometimes, the simplest of wounds can turn into a significant problem because the body’s normal healing process is affected. Other types of hard-to-heal wounds result from pressure, trauma or infection. Non-healing wounds can have serious health consequences and may adversely affect your quality of life.
The Wound Recovery and Hyperbaric Medicine Center at Kent Hospital is convenient to Providence and surrounding communities and has access to all hospital resources and the Care New England Health System. The hospital medical staff has an extensive array of specialists in virtually every medical-surgical category.
Wound Recovery and Hyperbaric Medicine Center
15 Health Lane, Building 2-D
Warwick, RI 02886
P: (401) 736-4646
Hours
The Wound Recovery and Hyperbaric Medicine Center is open Monday through Friday 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Emergency hyperbaric oxygen therapy service per provider availability.
Our services are covered by most insurance plans.
As a comprehensive wound healing center, we specialize in the treatment of all types of non-healing and difficult-to-heal wounds including:
Kent Hospital offers Rhode Island's largest and newest hyperbaric medicine program. Now in use each day at the Wound Recovery and Hyperbaric Medicine Center, these state-of-the-art HBO chambers use oxygen under pressure to treat hard-to-heal wounds and other chronic conditions such as:
The hyperbaric oxygen units, sometimes called "dive chambers", at Kent Hospital utilize a special, strong plastic shell that allows a patient to comfortably recline during treatment. Patients listen to music, watch television, or movies. Hyperbaric clinicians maintain constant visual and audio contact to enhance comfort during treatment.
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is a treatment in which the patient breathes 100% pure oxygen while inside a pressurized chamber. The air pressure inside a hyperbaric oxygen chamber is about two and a half times greater than the normal pressure in the atmosphere. This “hyperbaric” (or high pressure) dose of oxygen helps your blood carry more oxygen to your organs and tissues to promote wound healing. It also activates the white blood cells to fight infection.
Patients typically receive hyperbaric oxygen therapy five days a week for approximately four to six weeks. One treatment takes about two hours and is quite comfortable for most patients.
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy may be used as part of the treatment for certain conditions, including the following:
Our wound healing center is staffed with a multidisciplinary team of physicians, along with nurses and technicians with advanced training in wound care, who will customize the most effective treatment plan to stimulate healing.
Comprised of general physicians, vascular and plastic surgeons, podiatrists, and infectious disease physicians, our team is dedicated to providing the most advanced healing options to patients, allowing them to recover as quickly and completely as possible.
As wound healing specialists, our clinicians have a proven track record of healing wounds – even those that have not responded to other treatments.
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy should not be a replacement for standard therapeutic measures. Depending on the response of the individual patient and the severity of the condition, treatment may range from less than one week to several months, the average being four to six weeks.
Yes. Each patient is evaluated to determine the relative risks and benefits of hyperbaric oxygen therapy prior to treatment.
After referral by your doctor and evaluation by a hyperbaric medicine specialist, you will be given detailed instructions. You will be asked not to wear the following materials while in the chamber:
Watches are not worn in the chamber because they may break under the increased pressure. Because the therapy involves 100 percent oxygen, any form of smoking material, lighters, or matches are STRICTLY prohibited in the chamber and should not be used during therapy. Anything not specifically allowed in the chamber must not be taken in under any circumstances.
During your treatment, you may watch television, a movie, or take a nap. You will be given a hospital gown to wear in the chamber. Most pacemakers are allowed in the chamber. The hyperbaric technologist will need to know if you are taking any medications, including non-prescription drugs. You are advised not to drink alcohol or carbonated beverages for four hours prior to treatment.
Smoking and the use of tobacco products interfere with the body’s ability to transport oxygen. Therefore, your doctor will work with you on techniques to help stop smoking during the treatment period.
Following your treatment plan is the single most important factor in your healing.
Our approach to wound care is aggressive and comprehensive, coordinating traditional and advanced therapies and techniques that are proven to reduce healing time and improve healing rates.
Since non-healing wounds rarely result from a single cause, we begin with a thorough evaluation and diagnostic testing to determine the underlying cause of the wound. A treatment plan is then developed to give patients the best chance for healing. Most treatments are covered by Medicare/Medicaid, HMOs, and other private insurance. Depending on the type of wound, the treatment plan may include:
It greatly depends on the nature of the illness and the facility. Patients with wound healing problems usually require about 30 treatments, Monday through Friday. Patients with acute diseases such as decompression illness or carbon monoxide poisoning usually need only one to two treatments. Treatments are not usually scheduled on weekends or holidays. Emergency treatments are administered at any time, 365 days per year.
Further information can be obtained by calling the Wound Recovery Center at Kent Hospital at 401-736-4646 or by visiting the Undersea and Hyperbaric Medicine Society website.
Physician, Wound Recovery & Hyperbaric Medicine
Dr. Bensusan is a specialist in advanced wound care and hyperbaric medicine. Primary interests include the management of emergency hyperbaric patients including those with acute carbon monoxide poisoning, failed grafts/flaps, and decompression sickness. She also has experience in treating acute and chronic wounds stemming from diabetes, peripheral vascular disease, and surgical procedures.
Dr. Bensusan is fellowship trained in undersea and hyperbaric medicine and holds a NOAA/UHMS certification in diving medicine.
Plastic Surgeon
Affiliated with Brigham and Women’s Hospital
Dr. Benjamin Christian is an Associate Surgeon in the Division of Plastic Surgery. He has a broad practice based primarily out of Providence, RI offering the full breadth of hand surgery, cosmetic and reconstructive breast surgery, body contouring, and wound care among others. Dr. Christian focuses on individualized care to enrich his patients’ lives by improving form or function.
His research interests include investigating differences in the delivery of hand and plastic surgery care between community hospitals and academic centers. He is also studying the benefits and outcomes of oncoplastic breast re-shaping or reduction at the time of lumpectomy.
Medical Director, Wound Recovery & Hyperbaric Medicine
Dr. May is a specialist in advanced wound care and hyperbaric medicine. Primary interests include the management of complex wounds associated with diabetes, peripheral arterial disease, venous insufficiency, pressure injury, and/or radiation therapy. Dr. May is committed to the development of comprehensive and multidisciplinary approaches to wound medicine for optimized rates of healing and limb salvage.
Dr. May is fellowship-trained in undersea and hyperbaric medicine and holds an NOAA/UHMS certification in diving medicine. He has experience utilizing hyperbaric oxygen for acute and chronic indications, including wound healing, acute carbon monoxide poisoning, air gas embolism, and decompression sickness.
General Internal Medicine
Hospital Medicine/Hospitalist
Dr. Ralph F. Santoro is an internist in Cranston, Rhode Island and is affiliated with Kent Hospital. He received his medical degree from Sapienza University of Rome and has been in practice for more than 20 years. General internal medicine physicians, or internists, are primary-care doctors who perform physical exams and treat a wide spectrum of common illnesses in adult men and women. One of every four physicians in the U.S. is an internist, many of whom are certified in one of 19 subspecialties, including cardiology, infectious disease, and medical oncology.
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