Gangrene

Gangrene is a type of tissue death caused by a lack of blood supply. Symptoms may include a change in skin color to red or black, numbness, swelling, pain, skin breakdown, and coolness. The feet and hands are most commonly affected. Certain types may present with a fever or sepsis.

Causes

Gangrene is caused by a critically insufficient blood supply or infection.

Symptoms

Symptoms may include a change in skin color to red or black, numbness, pain, skin breakdown, and coolness. The feet and hands are most commonly involved.

Treatment

Surgical removal of all dead tissue is the mainstay of treatment for gangrene. Often, gangrene is associated with underlying infection, and thus the gangrenous tissue must be debrided (aka. removed) to hinder the spread of the associated infection. The extent of surgical debridement needed depends on the extent of the gangrene, and may be limited to the removal of a finger, toe, or ear, but in severe cases may involve a limb amputation. Dead tissue alone does not require debridement, and in some cases, such as dry gangrene, the affected part falls off (auto-amputates), making surgical removal unnecessary.