How hyperbaric oxygen therapy saved a man’s leg and foot from amputation

As a lifelong construction worker and dedicated family man, Ken Leslie knows a lot about building sturdy foundations.

But Leslie’s own physical structure was weakened in 2022 by a stubborn wound that wouldn’t heal. Left untreated, it could have required an amputation of his right leg and foot.

“It would have been devastating to me for driving,” said Leslie, 65, a father of two and a grandfather of four.

Leslie, who has peripheral vascular disease, neuropathy, diabetes and end-stage renal disease, said his health “just seemed to fall apart” after Dawn, his wife of 43 years, died from complications due to several strokes. And despite Leslie's best efforts to tend to his year-old foot wound, the situation didn’t improve.

The Orland Park resident turned to the UChicago Medicine Ingalls Memorial Hospital and its comprehensive wound care services led by Joseph Durham, MD*, medical director of hyperbaric services, and Dale Brink, DPM, as well as a nursing staff with more than 70 combined years of experience.

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy for wound care in Chicago

By the time Leslie reached Ingalls, the infection was so extensive it required an emergency department admission. The hospital’s wound care staff quickly deployed a team approach to improve circulation to Leslie’s foot and eliminate the infection.

Although Brink ultimately had to amputate Leslie’s pinky toe, he saved the foot, preserving Leslie’s independence — including his ability to drive and shop, to spend time with his grandsons and to keep a meticulously clean house like Dawn always did.

The care didn’t stop there. Every weekday morning for three months, Leslie drove to Ingalls for hyperbaric oxygen therapy, in which patients enter a specialized chamber to breathe pure oxygen at several times higher than a regular environment. The increased oxygen in the bloodstream not only enhances wound healing, but it also kills bacteria, Durham said.

The hospital’s two chambers are among just a few available locally, and they attract wound-care patients from Chicago, the south suburbs and Northwest Indiana. The therapy is a strong option for patients without other options, Durham said, and it requires extended commitment.

“I never took a day off,” said Leslie, whose wound healed completely after 50 sessions. “I went every day, and they commended me for it.”

Comprehensive wound care at Ingalls Memorial Hospital

The Hyperbaric and Wound Center at Ingalls provides care for every type of wound — including diabetic wounds, pressure sores, bone infections, burns and radiation burns, Durham said. The hyperbaric chamber also has been used to heal nipple-sparing procedures after mastectomies.

Diabetic foot ulcers are the most common cases. That’s because patients with diabetes often lack sensation in their feet, so they could have large sores and not know it. “These can progress to be life-threatening if not recognized and attended to in a timely manner,” Durham said.

Brink credits a team approach to wound care at Ingalls, which includes vascular surgery, podiatry, general surgery and physical therapy. In particular, the physical therapy team has a lymphedema program that helps reduce swelling, making the wound heal more quickly, while the wound care team aggressively treats difficult wounds.

“A lot of the patients we see have extremely challenging issues,” Brink said. “Oftentimes, we get patients who have either stalled or failed with treatments at other places, and so we have to come up with new solutions.”

Physical therapy and wound care are located next door to each other at Ingalls, which allows Durham and Brink to easily check in with patients during their PT appointments. It’s one of many ways Ingalls clinicians get to know patients personally on their journey to saving a limb and maintaining independence.

“I don't think the average person realizes how life-altering an amputation is,” Durham said. “With the prosthetics available now, if someone has to lose their leg, it's not the end of the world. But, of course, it's better to save a limb than to lose it.”

When to seek care for a wound that won’t heal

A wound that hasn’t healed, stays the same or gets larger within four weeks requires medical care.

“That’s an indication that it's not progressing and that we need to do something different or get a closer look at it,” Brink said. “We make sure that we’ve left no stone unturned trying to give them the best outcomes possible.”

Durham said patients should watch for redness, increasing pain, and any drainage or odor as well. “If the wound started off as something small and it’s enlarging, you certainly don’t want to wait a month,” Durham said, noting that delays only worsen outcomes or heighten the risk of amputation.

“Like most medical problems, the sooner you treat them, the easier they are to resolve.”

Renewed mobility and independence after wound treatment

Leslie is grateful to the wound care team at Ingalls, who gave him back the freedom to easily enjoy time with his daughters, Danielle and Nicole. He likes being able to hop in his van on a whim to drive to the store or to cruise the roundabout roads he’d take with Dawn after her strokes, holding hands.

These days, Leslie also finds himself at the cemetery visiting her. After an hour, as he gets ready to leave, he knows his improved health and mobility will allow a return. “All right, Dawn, I’m going to take off,” he’ll say. “I’ll be back.”

*Dr. Durham is independent physicians with privileges at Ingalls Memorial Hospital. Dr. Durham is not employees or agents of Ingalls Memorial Hospital.