Huron Regional Medical Center

"What sets our wound care clinic apart from others is that the wound care nurses and physical therapists [PTs] work closely together. PTs can do nonsurgical debridements and use ultrasound and electrical stimulation to promote healing, and they can even co-treat patients with nurses. If a wound care patient needs to improve strength or mobility, PTs can help." – Karmen Weinzirl, MS, PT, director of rehabilitation services at Huron Regional Medical Center Larry Walz's attempts to find successful wound treatment resulted in nothing but frustration – until he met the wound care team at Huron Regional Medical Center. For years, Walz, a 64-year-old Navy veteran and Huron resident, lived with lymphedema that caused uncomfortable swelling and fluid discharge in his legs. He also developed a sore on the back of his right leg that refused to heal. "The problems limited my mobility and endurance," Walz says. "When my wife and I wrapped my legs or put compression stockings on them, as medical providers advised us to do, the lymphatic fluid had nowhere to go, so it traveled to my lungs. My quality of life really got bad." Keeping Swelling Under Wraps "During Mr. Walz's first appointment, we started controlling the fluid in his legs," says Karmen Weinzirl, MS, PT, director of rehabilitation at HRMC. "We put compression wraps on his legs every day for a week or two to soak up the discharge and reduce the swelling. Over a month or so, the drainage gradually decreased, and we targeted the wound on his right leg." The team used a combination of dressings and a topical ointment to encourage the wound to heal. They also worked with the Veterans Health Administration to ensure it would cover Mr. Walz's care at HRMC. "It was a challenge to find treatment from a facility that could work with the VA," Walz says. "I was glad to find this option for care." "We got Mr. Walz to the point that wetness and odor from his legs no longer limited him from going out in public or doing daily activities," says Wilma Robert, RN, CWS, CHRN, wound care nurse at HRMC. "The next phase was to connect him with someone who could show him treatments and preventive actions he could do at home, so we referred him to a lymphedema specialist in Aberdeen." A Hopeful Future Walz continues to work with the lymphedema specialist to keep the swelling in his legs under control. He couldn't be happier with the results of his wound care. "My legs are in excellent shape now," he says. "Everyone at HRMC was very helpful, professional and caring. I just applaud them, and I'm so grateful." To schedule an evaluation of a chronic wound, visit www.huronregional.org/services/woundcare or call (605) 353-6253. K a rmen Weinzirl, MS Walz, pictured with his wife Reg in the therapy department at the hospital, holds a compression garment HRMC wound care staff used to help reduce the swelling in his leg. Getting His LEGS Back welloneconnection 5 w w w. h u r o n r e g i o n a l . o r g

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