Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBO)
HBO therapy delivers 100 percent oxygen at increased atmospheric pressure to accelerate healing where oxygen perfusion is compromised.
Watch and Learn More About Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy3990 E. US Hwy. 64 Alt./Annex
Murphy, NC 28906
Fax: 828-837-7169
Enter through the back side of
Erlanger Western Carolina Hospital annex,
under the brick portico
Some wounds heal on schedule. Others stall for months or years despite conventional treatment. The Wound Care Center at Erlanger Western Carolina Hospital treats those wounds. Our multidisciplinary team of physicians, nurses and certified wound specialists evaluates your wound, works with your regular doctor and builds a personalized healing program designed to close it.
What Is a Chronic Wound?
A chronic wound is a wound that does not heal in orderly stages or within a predictable amount of time. A wound that has shown no meaningful improvement in 30 days, or that has not closed within three months, is considered chronic. Chronic wounds do not resolve on their own. They need specialized evaluation and a treatment plan built around the cause, not just the wound itself.
If you have diabetes and develop any wounds on your foot, seek care immediately. Early treatment of diabetic foot ulcers prevents infection, hospitalization, and amputation.
When to See a Wound Care Specialist
Call us if you recognize any of the following:
- No improvement in two weeks. A wound that looks the same after 14 days needs specialized care.
- Increasing pain. Rising discomfort often signals infection or a circulation problem.
- Changes in appearance. Discoloration, spreading redness, or swelling around the wound.
- Odor or drainage. An unusual smell is a sign of infection.
- Fever. An elevated temperature means your body is fighting infection.
- Any foot wound if you have diabetes. Do not wait.
- Recurring wounds. A healed wound that reopens or repeat wounds in the same area.
- Underlying conditions. Diabetes, vascular disease, heart failure, COPD, or an autoimmune disorder slows healing, so even minor wounds deserve expert evaluation.
- A history of healing problems. Past difficulty healing predicts future difficulty healing.
Early intervention changes outcomes. Prompt, expert treatment improves healing rates and prevents complications.
Wounds We Treat in Murphy
- Diabetic Foot Ulcers lead to serious complications without prompt treatment. Our team uses advanced offloading and infection control to protect limbs and restore healing.
- Pressure Injuries and Bedsores from prolonged immobility require specialized intervention. We work with skilled nursing facilities and home caregivers throughout the region at every stage of healing.
- Vascular and Venous Wounds need targeted compression and circulation-focused care. We coordinate with local vascular providers to deliver the right protocol.
- Post-Surgical and Radiation Wounds that stall in standard healing, post-operative infections, compromised skin grafts, osteoradionecrosis and soft-tissue radionecrosis from prior radiation therapy.
- Infection-Related Wounds Chronic refractory osteomyelitis, gangrene and necrotizing infections that require urgent intervention.
- Trauma, Burns and Skin Tears from accidents and external force, burns from heat, electricity, chemicals or radiation, skin lacerations and tears caused by fragile skin.
- We also treat dermatologic conditions and rare or atypical wounds. If your wound type is not listed here, our Murphy clinic is equipped to evaluate and treat it.
Meet Our Wound Care Team
Erlanger Wound Care
Advanced Wound Care Treatments
Every treatment plan accounts for your wound type, your overall health and your daily life. We monitor progress at each visit and adjust the plan as your wound responds
Debridement
A minor procedure that removes dead tissue, prevents infection, and creates a healthy base for new tissue to regenerate.
Negative Pressure Wound Therapy
Also called wound vac therapy. Controlled suction draws fluid away from the wound and promotes granulation tissue formation.
Bioengineered Skin Substitutes
Living-cell tissue products and synthetic skin substitutes stimulate your body's own healing response. These are particularly effective for diabetic and venous ulcers that have stalled in standard care.
Compression Therapy and Offloading
Specialized compression dressings decrease swelling and support circulation. Pressure relief through custom orthopedic shoes, splints, total contact casting, crutches, walkers or wheelchairs takes weight off the wound so it can close.
Infection Control and Supportive Care
- Specialized antimicrobial dressings and advanced biological dressings
- Antibiotic therapy and antibacterial ointments
- Nutritional counseling to supply the nutrients healing requires
- X-rays, blood cultures, laboratory testing and vascular studies
- Customized protocols for complex or atypical wounds
The Right Choice
Why Patients Choose Erlanger Western Carolina
Certified Wound Care Specialists
Clinicians who treat chronic and complex wounds every day, not occasionally.
Proven Clinical Protocols
Healogics healing protocols built on more than 30 years of national wound care experience.
On the Hospital Campus
Imaging, laboratory services, and emergency care are on site if your wound needs them.
Care Close to Home
Patients in Cherokee, Clay, and Graham counties in the tri-state mountains of western North Carolina, north Georgia, and eastern Tennessee avoid long drives to Asheville or Atlanta for specialty wound treatment.
Bioengineered Skin Substitutes
Living-cell tissue products and synthetic skin substitutes stimulate your body's own healing response. These are particularly effective for diabetic and venous ulcers that have stalled in standard care.
Coordinated care with your doctor
We work alongside your primary care provider, vascular specialist, and home health team.
Wound Care FAQs
A referral from your primary care provider or specialist is welcome and often required for insurance. You may also call us directly to request an appointment. We coordinate with your regular doctor throughout your treatment.
Wound care services are typically covered by Medicare, Medicaid, and most commercial insurance plans. Our staff verifies your benefits before your first appointment and reviews any expected costs with you.
Bring your insurance card, photo identification, a list of current medications, and the name and contact information of your primary care provider. If you have been using dressings or supplies at home, bring them or a photo of the packaging.
Yes. We regularly coordinate care with home health agencies, skilled nursing facilities and family caregivers across the region, so the plan continues between visits.
Wound care is most often recommended for:
- Older adults and patients with conditions that interfere with normal healing, including diabetes, heart failure with lower-extremity edema, radiation injury and COPD
- Patients who smoke
- Patients with hard-to-heal wounds that have not resolved within 30 days
- Patients with radiation burns, serious burns, or postoperative complications and infections
Yes, hyperbaric oxygen therapy is available at select Healogics-managed centers. Call our Murphy team to schedule at this location in Erlanger Western Carolina Hospital.
Most patients are seen weekly and see measurable progress within the first several weeks of a structured treatment plan. Healing time depends on wound type, circulation, nutrition, and underlying conditions.
Visit the Erlanger Western Carolina Hospital Wound Care Center
3990 E. US 64 Alt
Murphy, NC 28906
Enter through the back side of Erlanger Western Carolina Hospital annex, under the brick portico
Serving Murphy, Andrews, Hayesville, Robbinsville, and surrounding communities in western North Carolina, north Georgia, and eastern Tennessee.