Gangrene (patient information)

Gangrene

Overview

What are the symptoms?

What are the causes?

Who is at highest risk?

Diagnosis

When to seek urgent medical care?

Treatment options

Where to find medical care for Gangrene?

Prevention

What to expect (Outlook/Prognosis)?

Possible complications

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Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Associate Editor-In-Chief: Shivali Marketkar, M.B.B.S. [2]; Edzel Lorraine Co, D.M.D., M.D.

## Contents

* 1 Overview
* 2 What are the symptoms of gangrene?
* 3 What causes gangrene?
* 4 Diagnosis
* 5 When to seek urgent medical care?
* 6 Treatment options
* 7 Where to find medical care for gangrene?
* 8 Prevention
* 9 What to expect (Outlook/Prognosis)?
* 10 Possible complications
* 11 Sources

## Overview

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* Gangrene is the death of tissue in part of the body due to lack of blood supply.
* It is an alarming and life-threatening condition.
* There are various types of gangrene.
* Dry gangrene \- The tissue gets dry and falls off. This is commonly observed on the fingers and toes.
* Wet gangrene \- The tissue looks swollen and with some blisters.
* Gas gangrene \- The tissue gets infected with bacteria causing build-up of gas bubbles within it.

## What are the symptoms of gangrene?

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* Symptoms differ according to the type of gangrene present. Table 1 summarizes the symptoms observed in each type of gangrene.

Table 1. Symptoms of Gangrene. Type | Symptoms

|

Dry Gangrene | Dry and hard skin and tissue.
Wet Gangrene | Tissue that appears wet, swelling, darkening of the skin, blisters, and putrid smell.
Gas Gangrene | Numbness or heavy feeling in the affected area, confusion, intense pain, body malaise, fever, skin color changes to red, brown, or purple, blisters, and a crackling sound is heard from tissues when pressing it.

## What causes gangrene?

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* Wound constriction that is followed by hemorrhage.
* Body part compression.
* Necrosis due to bandages.

## Diagnosis

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* The type of test needed is based on the type of gangrene the patient has.
* Diagnostic tests that are usually done include:
* Imaging tests such as computed tomography scan (CT scan), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to look for signs of gas inside the body.
* Blood tests to look for signs of infection.
* Blood flow tests to detect the source of problems in the blood vessels and identify its severity.

## When to seek urgent medical care?

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* If numbness is felt on the fingers or toes, a visit to the doctor should be done right away.
* Non-healing wounds or any skin changes on the foot in a patient with diabetes should be evaluated as soon as possible.
* After surgery, if the patient experiences worsening pain or skin color changes on the affected area, or if the patient starts to feel sick, an urgent visit to the doctor is needed.

## Treatment options

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* Cutting away of dying or dead tissues to prevent spreading of gangrene.
* Amputation \- A type of surgery wherein removal of the body parts affected with gangrene is done.
* Intravenous antibiotic medications

## Where to find medical care for gangrene?

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Directions to Hospitals Treating Gangrene

## Prevention

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* Maintain a normal blood sugar level.
* Have a good habit of checking the feet regularly.
* Avoid using contaminated heroin or any chemicals that are injected into the body.

## What to expect (Outlook/Prognosis)?

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* The prognosis will depend on the severity of the gangrene.
* In some cases, survival is still noted even if a certain body part has fallen off.

## Possible complications

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* Amputation and death are the most common complication of gangrene. [1]

## Sources

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http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/007218.htm

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1. ↑ Elsayed S, Clavijo LC (2015). "Critical limb ischemia". Cardiol Clin. 33 (1): 37–47. doi:10.1016/j.ccl.2014.09.008. PMID 25439329.