Wesley Sugalski, a 57-year-old helicopter pilot, has always maintained an active lifestyle, avidly practicing karate and other forms of martial arts. An infected wound on his leg almost changed that.
Wesley Sugalski, a 57-year-old helicopter pilot, has always maintained an active lifestyle, avidly practicing karate and other forms of martial arts. An infected wound on his leg almost changed that.
“A year ago, I cut my leg bumping into some furniture after I tripped,” says Mr. Sugalski. “The scratch became infected and grew to the size of a quarter in three months. My daughter, who had just finished nursing school, encouraged me to have a specialist look at it.”
Mr. Sugalski was initially given antibiotics and compression socks to encourage healing, but was then referred to Marshall Feldman, DPM, Chair of the Department of Podiatric Medicine and Surgery and a wound care specialist at the Wound Care Center® at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Rahway.
“After examining Mr. Sugalski, I found he had inadequate vein function, which led to the infection,” says Dr. Feldman, who is also President of the New Jersey Podiatric Medical Society. “His wound had been causing him a great deal of pain because it was exposing nerve endings to the open air. After performing wound debridement [removal of unhealthy tissue], we found the tissue underneath would provide an appropriate base for a bioengineered skin graft.”
The laboratory-generated skin graft used to help Mr. Sugalski promotes healthy skin cell production and allows the wound to steadily heal.
THE ROAD TO HEALING
Following the skin-grafting procedure, Mr. Sugalski recovered at home, attending follow-up appointments on a weekly basis. His wound has healed well enough that no additional skin grafts will be needed.
“If I had waited much longer, the infection could have spread to my bones, and I could have lost my leg,” says Mr. Sugalski. “I can’t express enough gratitude to Dr. Feldman and the medical staff. The medical staff works 110 percent to get you well while keeping you informed. The technology they use is amazing—I am so thankful.”