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| Treatment is usually surgical ] and excision with amputation necessary in many cases. Antibiotics alone are not effective because they do not penetrate ischemic muscles sufficiently. However, penicillin is given as an adjuvant treatment to surgery. In addition to surgery and antibiotics ] (HBOT) is used and acts to inhibit the growth of and kill the anaerobic ''C. perfringens''. | Treatment is usually surgical ] and excision with amputation necessary in many cases. Antibiotics alone are not effective because they do not penetrate ischemic muscles sufficiently. However, penicillin is given as an adjuvant treatment to surgery. In addition to surgery and antibiotics ] (HBOT) is used and acts to inhibit the growth of and kill the anaerobic ''C. perfringens''. | ||
| NOTE: Gangrene is also present when red spots (the size of pimples) are present over a large mass of skin area; i.e. the back. This form of gangrene is the most serious as it can decapitate a large area of skin. | '''NOTE: Gangrene is also present when red spots (the size of pimples) are present over a large mass of skin area; i.e. the back. This form of gangrene is the most serious as it can decapitate a large area of skin.''' | ||
| ==See also== | ==See also== | ||
| *] | *] | ||
Revision as of 06:59, 27 December 2006
Medical condition| Gangrene | |
|---|---|
| Specialty | Surgery  |
Gangrene is necrosis and subsequent decay of body tissues caused by infection or thrombosis or lack of blood flow. It is usually the result of critically insufficient blood supply sometimes caused by injury and subsequent contamination with bacteria. This condition is most common in the extremities. The best of all possible treatments is revascularization (restoration of blood flow) of the affected organ, which can reverse some of the effects of necrosis and allow healing. Depending on the extent of tissue loss and location, treatment other than revascularization runs the gamut from allowing digits to auto-amputate (fall off), debridement and local care, to amputation, the removal of infected necrotic tissues.
History
In the years before antibiotics, fly maggots were commonly used to treat chronic wounds or ulcers to prevent or stop necrotic spread. Some species of maggots consume only dead flesh, leaving nearby living tissue unaffected. Their use largely died out after the introduction of antibiotics and enzyme treatments for wounds. In recent years, however, maggot therapy has regained some credibility and is sometimes employed to great effect in cases of chronic tissue necrosis.
Dry gangrene
If the blood flow is interrupted for a reason other than severe bacterial infection, the result is a dry gangrene. Persons with impaired peripheral blood flow, such as diabetics, are at greater risk for dry gangrene.
The early signs of dry gangrene are a dull ache and sensation of coldness in the area, along with pallor of the flesh. If caught early, the process can sometimes be reversed by vascular surgery. However, if necrosis sets in, the affected tissue must be removed just as with wet gangrene.
Treatment
Treatment is usually surgical debridement and excision with amputation necessary in many cases. Antibiotics alone are not effective because they do not penetrate ischemic muscles sufficiently. However, penicillin is given as an adjuvant treatment to surgery. In addition to surgery and antibiotics Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) is used and acts to inhibit the growth of and kill the anaerobic C. perfringens.
NOTE: Gangrene is also present when red spots (the size of pimples) are present over a large mass of skin area; i.e. the back. This form of gangrene is the most serious as it can decapitate a large area of skin.