The condition typically starts in a specific body part, such as a leg, hand, or internal organ. Gangrene can spread through your body and cause you to go into shock if left untreated. Shock is a condition marked by a variety of symptoms including low blood pressure. Shock can be life-threatening and is considered a medical emergency.
Gangrene is a medical emergency that could lead to amputations or death. Recognizing and treating the condition as fast as possible will improve your outlook. All of your organs such as your liver, heart, and muscles need oxygen to function properly and survive. The oxygen is carried to different parts of your body by your blood. Eventually, the body part will start to deteriorate and die.
With dry gangrene, the skin is closed and there is no evidence of infection. Wet gangrene happens when your body tissues become infected with some type of bacteria. The tissues react to the presence of the bacteria by growing moist and breaking down. This process causes the death of your tissues. Bacteria called Clostridia cause gas gangrene. These bacteria create an infection that causes gas bubbles and toxins to develop inside the affected area. The resulting gases cause tissue death.
You are more likely to develop gangrene if you have a history of certain medical conditions, including:. Some other physical events could increase your risk of gangrene. You may be more likely to develop this condition if you:. Smoking, drinking alcohol, and using intravenous drugs may also add to your risk of developing gangrene. Sometimes the first sign of dry gangrene is a reddish line that develops around the affected tissue.
This line may later turn black. In this case, you may not have any symptoms on your skin or limbs. However, you may have pain, an unexplained fever that lasts a long time, or low blood pressure. You may also experience confusion. Your doctor may suspect that you have gangrene based on your medical history and symptoms.
They may also use a combination of additional diagnostic methods to determine your condition. A scraping of tissue from your affected body part may be examined with a microscope to look for dead cells. Some kinds of imaging are helpful in diagnosing the spread of gangrene in your internal tissues. An anarteriogram test may be performed if doctors suspect that your gangrene is related to a circulatory problem. Dry forms result from a progressive loss of blood supply to tissues. Dry forms can become wet forms if they develop a bacterial infection.
All forms of gangrene happen because of a loss of blood supply to a certain area. This deprives tissue of oxygen and nutrients, causing the tissue to die. Wet forms can develop from :. Risk factors for gangrene include :. The part will be cold to the touch, and there will be a loss of pulse in the arteries.
There may not be any external signs of internal gangrene, but the following may occur as a result of septic shock and other complications:. Gas gangrene can produce all of these symptoms, and others. The infected area of skin can quickly extend, with some changes visible within minutes.
In gas gangrene, the skin may :. This is known as subcutaneous emphysema. The gas is produced by the infectious bacteria and is highly toxic, causing the necrosis to spread quickly. A doctor will carry out a physical examination and take a medical history, to find out about symptoms and potential exposure to infection or trauma.
If gangrene is suspected, further diagnostic tests will be used to determine the type and extent of the necrosis, and to detect or rule out gas gangrene. Tests of blood, tissue, and any discharge may be carried out to identify any bacterial infection. Anyone with suspected symptoms of gangrene needs immediate medical attention, to reduce the risk of serious complication and death. The most severe form, gas gangrene, is fatal without treatment. A hyperbaric chamber of high-pressure oxygen improves oxygen supply to the wounds by encouraging the formation of new blood vessels, and by causing greater dissolution of oxygen in the plasma.
Treatment takes place in a pressure chamber, and it involves inhaling pure oxygen at 2. Gangrene results when blood flow to a certain area of your body is interrupted, causing tissue decay and death.
Gangrene often affects the fingers or toes. Wet gangrene. Gangrene is referred to as wet if there's a bacterial infection in the affected tissue. Swelling, blistering and a wet appearance are common features of wet gangrene. Wet gangrene may develop after a severe burn, frostbite or injury. It often occurs in people with diabetes who unknowingly injure a toe or foot. Wet gangrene needs to be treated immediately because it spreads quickly and can be deadly.
Gas gangrene. Gas gangrene typically affects deep muscle tissue. If you have gas gangrene, the surface of your skin may look normal at first. As the condition worsens, your skin may become pale and then turn gray or purplish red. The skin may look bubbly and may make a crackling sound when you press on it because of the gas within the tissue.
Gas gangrene is most commonly caused by infection with a bacterium called Clostridium perfringens. Bacteria gather in an injury or surgical wound that has no blood supply. The bacterial infection produces toxins that release gas and cause tissue death. Like wet gangrene, gas gangrene is a life-threatening condition. Internal gangrene. Gangrene that affects one or more of your organs, such as your intestines, gallbladder or appendix, is called internal gangrene.
This type of gangrene occurs when blood flow to an internal organ is blocked — for example, when your intestines bulge through a weakened area of muscle in your stomach area hernia and become twisted. Gangrene can lead to serious complications if it's not immediately treated. Bacteria can spread quickly to other tissues and organs.
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