Wound Healing Success Stories

The Wound Healing Center at Wood County Hospital is a proven leader in the time it takes to heal people whose open sores have resisted traditional treatment. Our success rate of 98%healed in 16 weeks exceeds national benchmarks among other wound centers.

The following success story comes from Tay Yarger, a patient of The Wound Healing Center at Wood County Hospital.

In June 13, 2013,Tay Yarger was working in his workshop on his farm in Rudolph where he restores antique tractors. Suddenly the tractor axle chain unhooked from a forklift and a 700 pound casting for the wheel fell to the floor crushing his right foot. “The bones in my toes just disintegrated,” said Yarger.

Mr. Yarger’s wife took him to the WCH Emergency Room where he was seen by orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Scott Deering. “His foot was severely crushed and the bones were exposed,” said Dr. Deering. “We surgically repaired his wounds, but I thought that his toes might not survive.”

Dr. Deering referred Yarger to the Wound Healing Center for hyperbaric oxygen treatment (HBO) for his crush injury. Crush injuries can compromise circulation to the injured extremity. HBO therapy increases the delivery of oxygen to the injured extremity by restoring blood flow. In addition to this, HBO reduces swelling and helps the body fight infection. This process aids in limb salvage.

“I felt that by increasing the oxygenation it would optimize the healing process and could possibly salvage his toes, and it worked great,” said Dr. Deering.

“We don’t usually see crush injuries in an outpatient setting like the Wound Healing Center, said Dr. Todd Tamlyn, Medical Director of the Wound Healing Center. “In general crush injuries are major trauma kind of things. Mr. Targer’s case was as signficant as we’ve seen.”

From June until October 2013 Yarger went to the Wound Healing Center every day where he received 40 HBO treatments. At the time Yarger began HBO therapy most of his foot was black due to the crush injuries. As his treatment progressed, the color in his foot gradually evolved from black to a healthy normal shade of pink.”

Although Mr. Yarger’s foot was healing through HBO therapy, he was unable to put weight on his foot. “I could walk using my heel with my toes up, but not using my entire foot,” he said. Dr. Deering referred Yarger to the WCH Rehabilitation Services Department for physical therapy so that he could regain the ability to put weight on his foot. Both the Wound Healing Center and the Rehabilitation Services Department are located in the same building on the campus of Wood County Hospital which made it convenient for Mr. Yarger. He was able to have both HBO and physical therapy on the same days which saved him from having to drive to multiple locations.

Yarger was discharged from his therapies in October 2013. Now he is able to walk normally and put weight on his entire foot.

“The healing process takes time, but it’s unbelievable how HBO healed my foot,” said Yarger. “The staff at the Wood County Hospital are terrific group of people. They bent over backwards to help me and we became like family. And it was great to be able to receive all my treatment and therapy locally,”