Ask a Doc: Living Their Best Life - How Advanced Wound Care Helps Patients Heal
February 25, 2026
Categories: Ask a Doc
Tags: Wound Care
Chronic and non-healing wounds affect millions of Americans each year, often requiring specialized care to restore health and quality of life. Macy Au Fliegner, M.D., PhD, WCC, Medical Director of Wound Care and Hyperbaric Medicine at Trinity Health Livonia, also treats patients at Trinity Health Oakland. Dr. Fliegner, who is board certified in both general surgery and wound care, recently shared her insights into how advanced therapies, including hyperbaric oxygen treatment, help her patients heal from a wide range of conditions.
Macy Au Fliegner, MD
General Surgery
Trinity Health IHA Medical Group, Bariatric & General Surgery - Livonia
Accepting new patients
View DetailsQ: What is a Wound Care and Hyperbaric Medicine Center?
Dr. Fliegner: At Trinity Health, our Centers for Wound Care and Hyperbaric Medicine provide advanced, evidence-based treatments for chronic and non-healing wounds. Our team of doctors, nurses, and other specialists use innovative therapies you won’t find in a typical emergency room or physician’s office. This includes specialized dressings, advanced wound management techniques, and hyperbaric oxygen therapy, which promote skin tissue repair and faster healing. The goal is to improve healing, reduce recovery time, and help patients get back to living their best quality of life.
Q: What sorts of patients do you treat?
Dr. Fliegner: Every year, chronic wounds and related conditions prevent more than 6.5 million Americans from living life to the fullest. These patients suffer from slow-to-heal or non-healing wounds, which includes foot or leg ulcers developed among diabetic patients, pressure injuries also called bedsores, and surgical wounds that have not healed properly. We also care for patients with traumatic injuries, chronic venous insufficiency, and arterial disease, which can limit blood flow to the feet. Many of our patients are older adults, whose skin takes longer to heal, and some are on blood thinners, which can complicate their wound recovery. We also treat oncology patients with radiation-related complications, individuals with bone infections (osteomyelitis), and those recovering from trauma or crush injuries. Our centers serve all age groups except pediatrics, and occasionally we see teenagers.
Q: We think of a wound as something we can see, but is it true that wounds can exist and be treated internally too?
Dr. Fliegner: Yes, some wounds can occur internally, and they require specialized care. Our centers are equipped with advanced therapies to treat internal injuries where no open wound exists, including certain acute trauma or crush injuries, radiation-related conditions such as cystitis or proctitis, and complex cases following reconstructive surgery, like jaw or bone repair. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy can also be used prior to surgery for patients who have had radiation to the head or neck, helping prepare their tissue for better healing after the procedure.
Q: Is hyperbaric oxygen therapy safe?
Dr. Fliegner: Yes, our Centers for Wound Care and Hyperbaric Medicine at Trinity Health are fully certified and licensed, meeting the highest standards of care and safety. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy works by having patients breathe 100% oxygen in a pressurized chamber, boosting blood oxygen levels to promote new blood vessel growth and collagen production, which are essential for healing. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is commonly used for diabetic foot ulcers, chronic bone infections, radiation-related injuries, and non-healing surgical grafts or flaps. Patients can feel confident knowing these treatments are provided in a safe, hospital-based environment, where they are closely monitored by trained, certified, and highly experienced medical professionals.
Q: For those interested in wound care, what steps can they take?
Dr. Fliegner: Our team can coordinate with your doctor and insurance company to make all necessary arrangements. If you have a wound that won’t heal and need additional support, please call one of our Centers for Wound Care and Hyperbaric Medicine to schedule a consultation. No physician referral is needed.