A Modern Miracle at St. Joseph Hospital Wound Care Center

It looked harmless at first.

Robert Clarke, 72, noticed a shallow cut on his finger. He’d been able to stop the bleeding without complication and assumed everything would be fine. A school bus driver, he then finished both his morning and afternoon routes before going home. But when he woke in the middle of the night, Robert made a concerning discovery. “My hand blew up,” he remembered the pain of it with a wince.

The urgent care center prescribed a round of pills. But when his condition quickly worsened instead of getting better, Robert was referred to the emergency room to begin immediate treatment. There, he was diagnosed with necrotizing fasciitis, a severe and rapidly spreading bacterial infection that destroys the body’s soft tissue. It can become life-threatening over a short time period if not treated right away. After surgery to debride the infection, Robert spent ten days in the hospital. “I’ve always tried to be healthy and take care of myself,” he said, “so this was my first time staying in a hospital overnight.”

Though he began treatment as an inpatient, Robert’s discharge orders included follow-up care at the Center for Hyperbaric Medicine & Wound Healing at St. Joseph Hospital. There he would undergo 30 rounds of hyperbaric oxygen (HBO₂) therapy and advanced wound healing therapies to help restore the damaged tissue.

“When we saw him, all of the tendons in his hand were exposed,” explains Dr. Alan Slepian, Medical Director for the wound care center. “It looked like he was going to lose his hand, so we immediately started treatments.”

HBO₂ therapy is a medical treatment designed to enhance the body’s natural ability to heal. During HBO₂ therapy, the patient breathes 100% pure oxygen while inside a pressurized chamber. The pressure inside this chamber is about two and a half times greater than the normal pressure in the atmosphere. This high-pressure environment allows your blood to carry more oxygen to all parts of your body to repair injured tissue. HBO₂ therapy also helps to fight certain infections, like necrotizing fasciitis.

“There was a lot of stress and anxiety around this case, so we really gave it our all to help save him from an amputation,” Dr. Slepian elaborated. But after just the first session, the medical team saw a glimmer of hope. “We couldn’t believe how good it looked. The way he was responding to treatment was incredible; he was defying logic. It was a modern miracle.”

Robert also found his confidence returning. “Once you start to see improvement, you want to follow treatments to the end,” he states. And though he had to take public transportation to make his daily appointments, the staff at the center made the journey worth it. “They’re all so friendly here, very encouraging,” he smiled. “And the small size of the hospital makes it feel more comfortable, it’s a more personalized experience.”

Within two months, Robert was completely healed without the need for additional surgeries or skin grafts. “With physical therapy ongoing in the future, he should regain complete function of his hand,” said Dr. Slepian.

Robert, who is looking forward to returning to work, couldn’t be happier. “I’m very relieved and very thankful to everyone here,” he said. “Because of the experience that I had, I would recommend this wound care center to anyone who needs help.”