Healogics Blog

Your circulation system, also known as your cardiovascular system, is essential to wound healing because it is an important part of your body’s immune response. Your heart pumps oxygen and nutrient-rich blood away from the heart through your arteries. Your veins carry deoxygenated, nutrient-poor blood back to the heart. When you are injured, your blood carries extra nutrients and white blood cells to the injured tissue. If your circulation is limited, however, enough blood may not reach the wound which can delay healing. The longer a wound goes untreated, the greater the risk of infection, hospitalization and possibly amputation or loss of life.

There are two types of chronic wounds often associated with cardiovascular conditions: arterial ulcers, also called ischemic ulcers, and venous ulcers, also called stasis ulcers. For people living with heart disease, both arterial and venous ulcers can form when a bruise or scrape worsens or when the skin breaks down due to poor blood supply. Conditions that affect our heart, arteries and veins also limit our blood flow. Without good circulation, the oxygen and nutrients needed for healing cannot reach our lower legs and feet. This makes it difficult for wounds to heal and can even cause wounds to form.

Peripheral Artery Disease is a narrowing or blockage of the arteries that supply blood to our legs and arms. Most often, the arteries in the legs are affected. Nearly 8.5 million Americans are currently living with PAD and if left untreated, it can lead to avoidable amputations.

September is Peripheral Artery Disease Awareness Month. This cardiac condition is often overlooked and the minor-to-moderate leg pain it causes is dismissed as part of growing old. It is important to promote awareness of PAD to encourage screenings for adults over 60 as well as lifestyle changes to help prevent PAD.

June is Men’s Health Month. We, at Healogics, are bringing awareness to the various health conditions that men suffer from, such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease or prostate cancer. With early detection and appropriate treatments, these conditions can be managed or even prevented.

Your skin protects the inside of your body from germs that cannot be seen. Germs can cause infection if you have a break in the skin. You can also get an infection in your bone. This is called osteomyelitis.

How Does Smoking Affect Wound Healing?

Cigarettes contain nicotine. Nicotine causes your arteries to become narrow. It can also cause your arteries to go into spasm. When this happens, the oxygen and nutrients carried in your blood cannot get to your wound. Oxygen and nutrients are needed for your wound to heal. A wound that does not get enough oxygen and nutrients may result in a wound that does not heal.