Gangrene

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Gangrene requires urgent evaluation and treatment. In general, dead tissue should be removed to allow healing of the surrounding living tissue and prevent further infection. Depending on the area that has the gangrene, the person's overall condition, and the cause of the gangrene, treatment may include:

• Amputating the body part that has gangrene
• An emergency operation to find and remove dead tissue
• An operation to improve blood supply to the area
• Antibiotics
• Repeated operations to remove dead tissue (debridement)
• Treatment in the intensive care unit (for severely ill patients)

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What to expect depends on where the gangrene is in the body, how much gangrene there is, and the person's overall condition. If treatment is delayed, the gangrene is extensive, or the person has other significant medical problems, they may die.

Complications depend on where in the body the gangrene is, how much gangrene there is, the cause of the gangrene, and the person's overall condition. Complications can include:

• Disability from amputation or removal of dead tissue
• Prolonged wound healing or the need for reconstructive surgery, such as skin grafting

Call your doctor immediately if:

• A wound does not heal or there are frequent sores in an area
• An area of your skin turns blue or black
• There is foul-smelling discharge from any wound on your body
• You have persistent, unexplained pain in an area
• You have persistent, unexplained fever

Review Date: 08/28/2009
Reviewed By: Linda Vorvick, MD, Medical Director, MEDEX Northwest Division of Physician Assistant Studies, University of Washington School of Medicine; Jatin M. Vyas, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor in Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Assistant in Medicine, Division of Infectious Disease, Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org).