Shore Memorial Hospital Wound Care Center Graduates First Patient

SOMERS POINT — Shore Memorial Hospital announced the first graduate of its new Wound Care and Hyperbaric Medicine Center. Stephen Klein, 58, of Somers Point, a retired Atlantic City firefighter, became the first person to complete the program following his final hyperbaric treatment on Feb. 11.
“It was strange,” Klein laughed when being asked how he liked being the first patient, “I didn’t know I was, but it was kind of cool when I came in and everyone was excited for the first one.”
The Shore Memorial Wound Care and Hyperbaric Medicine Center opened in the beginning of January as an outpatient service.
The program uses advanced treatment and hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT), a simple, non-invasive, painless treatment that enhances the body’s natural healing, resulting in more rapid and complete healing for patients.
According to Christa Sawyer, program director of Shore Memorial’s Wound Care Center, chronic wounds occur in over 2 percent of the general population.
“This sort of treatment cannot be duplicated with topical oxygen treatments, and has been extremely successful in treating chronic wounds that previously resisted healing,” Sawyer said.
After suffering from a broken collar bone, Klein contracted a bone marrow infection resulting in an actual hole in his collar bone. Klein’s attending infectious disease physician, Athanasios Papastamelos, or as he refers to him, “Dr. Papa,” referred Klein to Shore Memorial’s Wound Care Center.
Klein’s treatments, commonly known as “dives,” lasted two hours a day, Monday through Friday, for six weeks. During this time Klein got to know the staff of the Shore Memorial Wound Care Center.
“It is a great hospital…the best. The people are great,” says Klein, “Janice, Loraine, “Dr. Papa,” Christa, everyone was great.”
This treatment proved to be very successful for Klein’s injury.
Dr. Papastamelos stated, “With this new HBO modality Mr. Klein avoided further surgery, risk, and accelerated and improved his outcome and quality of life. He had no further signs of infection and his blood tests were normal at the end of his treatments.”
As the first patient to go through this treatment at Shore Memorial, Klein offers future patients his advice for the procedure.
“It is kind of weird being in a tube, but you get used to it, and it was a great experience. There is nothing to be afraid of. And it is easy; you just lay there and watch TV for two hours,” said Klein.
Currently Shore Memorial has two Sechrist hyperbaric chambers in the unit with nine patients “diving” two hours a day, five days a week.
Through the Wound Care Center, patients have access to a diverse array of physicians, with specialties ranging from infectious diseases and vascular surgery to podiatry. Physicians have the ability to order tests including EKG’s, X-rays, CT scans, MRI’s and phlebotomy. Most of these tests can be done at Shore Memorial, where staff members are happy to assist with all arrangements.
“Since our doors opened, it has been invigorating to see our first patient graduate from HBOT,” said Sawyer. “Our unit has become a family in which we have developed relationships with our patients. Our priority is that patients know we are always available for them and look forward to further community outreach in support of patients.”
For more information on the Shore Memorial Wound Care and Hyperbaric Medicine Center, call 653-4526.