About wound VAC therapy
People on a wound VAC have usually just been through something significant. Many are recovering from abdominal, orthopedic, vascular or foot surgery where the incision opened or was left open on purpose. Others have a deep pressure injury over the tailbone or hip, a diabetic foot wound that needed surgical cleaning, or a wound from an accident.
Because of that, the therapy often starts in a hospital and then follows the person to a rehabilitation center, a skilled nursing facility or home. The same person may be weak, eating poorly, or living with diabetes or poor circulation. Those facts shape how closely the wound and the device need to be watched after discharge.
How the care plan is built
Before continuing negative pressure therapy, the treating clinician checks that it is still safe and appropriate for this wound. Reasons to pause or change course include:
- Dead tissue that has not been cleared from the wound
- Signs of infection in the wound, the surrounding skin or the bone underneath
- Bleeding, or a wound bed that sits close to a blood vessel
- Skin that is breaking down under the film
- Measurements that have stopped improving
None of these is a decision for a patient, a family member or Gateway to make. If the clinician finds one, the plan may shift to a different dressing, further testing or a return visit to the surgeon who ordered the therapy.
Arranging this care in Ferguson
Many homes in Ferguson are older single-family houses with the bedroom upstairs and the bathroom down a narrow hall. For someone carrying a pump and tubing, that layout is a fall risk, so ask the nurse about tubing length and where the pump should sit at night. Long-time residents often have a spouse of similar age as the main caregiver. That person can learn to read the pump screen and make the right phone call, and should not be expected to lift, pack or reseal a dressing alone.
In Ferguson you will see older frame and brick houses near the center of town, ranch homes in later subdivisions, and apartment complexes along the busier roads. Some households have three generations under one roof, and some older adults live alone. Skilled nursing, rehabilitation and assisted living facilities serve Ferguson and the neighboring cities. Gateway arranges partner clinician visits in homes, apartments and facilities alike. We ask who helps the patient day to day, because the treating clinician’s instructions need to reach that person, whether a daughter, a home aide or a charge nurse.
When care happens at home
Not every home starts with all the pieces in place. Some people are discharged with a pump before a home health agency has been confirmed, or the agency’s visit days do not match the ordered dressing schedule. When you call Gateway, we ask who ordered the therapy, who is changing the dressing now and when it was last changed, then work with the treating clinician and the agency to close the gaps.
Caregivers who work during the day can ask for a phone update after each clinician visit. When the clinician ends therapy, we help coordinate the return of the pump and the switch to new dressing supplies.
In a facility
Rehabilitation adds movement to the picture. A resident on negative pressure therapy still goes to the therapy gym, transfers in and out of a wheelchair and practices stairs, all with a pump and tubing attached. The treating clinician and facility nurses work out where the tubing runs so it is not sat on or pulled, and therapists learn what an alarm means and whom to tell.
Discharge planning should start early in a rehabilitation stay. Before the resident leaves, the plan should settle which agency will change the dressing at home, whether the facility’s pump stays behind and a home unit must be ordered, and when the wound will next be seen.
Changes to report
When you call about a wound VAC, a few details help the nurse or treating clinician act quickly: what the pump screen says, when the dressing was last changed and what the canister holds. Call promptly for:
- A canister that has filled since the last check
- Drainage that changes from pale or pink to dark, bloody or cloudy
- A dressing that has come loose and cannot be sealed again
- A new bad smell from the wound area
- The person seeming more tired, feverish or unwell
If there is steady bleeding, bright red blood in the tubing, chest pain or trouble breathing, call 911 first and make other calls afterward.
How primary care fits in
A wound that drains into a canister is losing fluid and protein every day, and the body has to replace both while also building new tissue. That makes eating and drinking part of the wound plan. A primary care clinician can check weight trends, appetite and lab work, and can address nausea, swallowing trouble or a low mood that keeps someone from eating.
Gateway arranges primary care alongside wound care so these questions do not wait for a separate office trip. When the two clinicians share notes, a stalled wound prompts a look at nutrition, not only at the dressing.
Arranging wound VAC follow-up in Ferguson
To arrange wound VAC follow-up in Ferguson, call Gateway at 314-325-0126. Patients, family members and caregivers can call directly, and a referral is not required. We will ask where the patient lives, what has been done for the wound so far and which clinicians are involved. Gateway then confirms whether a partner clinician is available for that address and care setting, requests the relevant records and schedules the visit. At that visit the treating clinician examines the wound and decides on the plan. Our job from then on is the coordination: orders, supplies, follow-up visits and keeping the care team informed.
If you are arranging care for a relative in Ferguson, gather a few things first: the address in 63135, the phone number of whoever is home during the day, insurance cards, and the discharge folder if there was a hospital stay. Tell us if the patient uses a wheelchair or cannot answer the door. Ferguson is close to both interstates, so visits here fit well with others in Florissant, Hazelwood, Bridgeton, North St. Louis and the rest of North County. We confirm availability by location and care setting.
- County: St. Louis County, Missouri
- ZIP codes: 63135
- Nearby hospitals: Christian Hospital in North County; SSM Health DePaul Hospital in Bridgeton (not affiliated with Gateway)
- Nearby communities: Florissant, Hazelwood, North County, North St. Louis, Bridgeton
- Care settings: Private homes, skilled nursing, assisted living, memory care and rehabilitation
More wound care in Ferguson
Read the full guide to wound VAC therapy, or see everything Gateway arranges on the mobile wound care in Ferguson page.
- Diabetic foot ulcers
- Venous leg ulcers
- Pressure injuries and bed sores
- Arterial and mixed wounds
- Non-healing wounds
- Post-surgical wounds
- Reopened (dehisced) surgical wounds
- Surgical site infections
- Skin tears and traumatic wounds
- Wounds with lymphedema
- Skin graft aftercare
- Wound VAC and NPWT follow-up in Florissant
- Wound VAC and NPWT follow-up in Hazelwood
- Wound VAC and NPWT follow-up in North County
- Wound VAC and NPWT follow-up in North St. Louis
Common questions
My parent is being discharged to Ferguson with a wound VAC. What should be in place first?
Ask the discharge planner four things: which home health agency will change the dressing and on what days, which supplier is sending the home pump and when it arrives, who will follow the wound after discharge, and whom to call after hours. Get the current orders and latest measurements in writing. Gateway can help arrange follow-up with a partner clinician and gather those records. Call 314-325-0126.
Can I sleep normally with a wound VAC?
Most people do, with a little setup. Put the pump on a stable surface where your instructions say it should sit, plug it in so it charges overnight, and route the tubing so you will not lie on it or catch it when you turn. If the wound is over the tailbone or hip, ask the clinician which positions to avoid. Tell the nurse if alarms keep waking you, since a recurring leak can often be fixed.
What happens if the power goes out while I am on a wound VAC?
Portable pumps run on a rechargeable battery, so a short outage is usually not a problem if the pump has been kept charged. Check your device instructions for how long the battery lasts, and plug the pump in whenever you are resting. If it will be off longer than your instructions allow, call the nurse or the number your clinician gave you and ask what should be done with the dressing.
Are visits arranged throughout the 63135 ZIP code in Ferguson, including apartments?
Requests are welcome from anywhere in 63135, whether the patient lives in a house, a duplex, an apartment complex or a care facility. For apartments, give us the complex name, building and unit number, and tell us how to reach the door. Gateway confirms visit availability for the specific address and setting. If we cannot arrange a visit there, we will say so directly.
General information to help you talk with your own clinician. It is not medical advice, and the treating clinician makes every clinical decision. For a medical emergency, call 911.