Gangrene: definition, symptoms, causes, and treatment

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Definition

What is gangrene?

Gangrene is the death and putrefaction of body tissues due to loss of blood supply or serious bacterial infection.

This condition often affects the fingers, curried feet, and limbs, but can also affect the muscles and internal organs.

The loss of tissue in the body will be easier to treat if diagnosed and treated early.

Types of gangrene

This dead body tissue is not of just one kind. Quoted from the Mayo Clinic page, here are some types of gangrene that you need to know are:

Dry gangrene

Dry gangrene is dead tissue that is characterized by drying and wrinkling of the skin. Initially tanned skin can become darker, bluish, and even black.

This condition occurs slowly, most commonly in people with diabetes or atherosclerosis.

Gangrene is wet

Wet gangrene is dead tissue from a bacterial infection. When observed, this condition causes swelling, blisters, and water.

This condition can result from severe burns, injury, or frostbite. Generally, this condition attacks diabetics who are not aware of any injuries, either on the fingers or to the feet.

Gas gangrene

Gas gangrene is the death of deep muscle tissue. This condition initially does not show any symptoms. However, over time the surface of the skin will become pale, reddish, and purplish.

The appearance of the skin will be swollen and when pressed there will be gas out of the tissue.

Tissue loss is most often caused by infection with the bacteria Clostridium perfringens, which develops in surgical injuries or wounds that deplete of blood supply. The infecting bacteria will produce gas, which is why gas will come out.

Internal gangrene

Internal gangrene is the death of tissue that attacks one or more organs of the body, such as the intestines, gallbladder, or intestines. This condition occurs due to blockage of blood flow to internal organs.

A person experiencing this condition will usually feel a severe fever and need to be treated so that it is not fatal.

Gangrene Fournier

Fournier gangrene is the death of tissue in the genital organs by bacteria. This condition causes pain, redness, and swelling.

Progressive bacterial synergistic gangrene

This condition, also known as Meleney's gangrene, is the rarest type. This condition develops from the surgical wound in a week or two.

How common is gangrene?

Gangrene is a common condition in diabetes mellitus patients.

Gangrene is also prone to experience by people who have problems / damage to blood vessels so that blood flow is interrupted, for example atherosclerosis (hardening of the heart arteries).

If people with these conditions do not follow treatment properly, they are at greater risk of developing gangrene.

Signs & symptoms

What are the signs and symptoms of gangrene?

Gangrene is a condition that can cause a variety of signs and symptoms.

Some of the signs and symptoms of gangrene that may occur are:

• The skin color changes from pale to blue, purple, red, then black.
• Swelling or blisters filled with fluid.
• There is a clear line between healthy and damaged skin.
• The wound gives off a foul odor, sudden severe pain, and is followed by a sensation of numbness.
• Cool skin to the touch.

If the dead tissue is under the surface of the skin, it is usually accompanied by fever and fatigue.

In severe cases, tissue that dies from bacterial infection can cause septic shock. This indicates that the infection has spread throughout the body via the bloodstream.

Symptoms and signs of septic shock or sepsis that begin with gangrene include:

• Low blood pressure
• Mild fever
• Headache
• Hard to breathe

When should I go to the doctor?

Gangrene is a serious condition that needs immediate treatment.

Call your doctor if you experience unexplained pain in any area of ​​your body and is accompanied by the following symptoms:

• Persistent fever
• Skin color changes and is warm to the touch
• The feces give off a foul odor
• Sudden pain in the injured skin

Cause

What causes gangrene?

Gangrene has many contributing factors. This condition can be triggered by one causative factor alone, or a combination of several factors.

The most common causes of gangrene are:

Lack of blood supply

Basically, the cause of gangrene is obstruction of blood flow in the affected part of the body.

The tissues in the body need a supply of nutrients and oxygen carried by the blood.

Blood also functions to transport toxins in the body. When blood flow is blocked due to plaque accumulating in the arteries, blood will not flow smoothly to various body tissues.

Finally, the cells in the tissue die and initially will appear red, blue to purplish.

Infection

A wound that has been healing for a long time or is not treated properly is one of the causes of gangrene.

This open wound invites bacteria to multiply, infect, and eventually kill the tissue.

Trauma

Injuries of a traumatic nature, such as gunshot wounds or accident wounds, are another cause of gangrene.

This condition provides a great opportunity for bacteria to infect deeper tissues.

Risk factors

What are the factors that increase my risk of developing gangrene?

Everyone can experience the death of body tissue. However, there are some people with certain conditions who have a greater chance of experiencing gangrene, namely:

Diabetes

Having diabetes makes high blood sugar levels. This condition blocks blood flow to the injured body part. Finally, it invites bacteria to infect the wound and kill the tissue.

Vascular problems and obesity

People who have blood vessel problems, such as atherosclerosis, are at risk for tissue death.

This is caused by narrowing and hardening of the arteries, blocking blood flow to the body.

Not only are blood vessels problematic, obese people are also at high risk of developing this condition.

Being overweight puts pressure on the arteries which can interfere with blood flow.

Have had an injury or surgery

Either an injury or surgery that leaves an open wound is at risk of tissue death if not treated properly.

Weak immune system

People whose immune systems are weak, such as having HIV disease or undergoing therapy are more likely to become infected if they have sores.

This condition can end in network shutdown if not handled properly.

Diagnosis & treatment

How do doctors diagnose gangrene?

Before making a diagnosis, your doctor will recommend that you do medical tests, including:

• A blood test to measure an increase in the white blood cell count for signs of infection as well as to look for areas of the body that are infected.
• Imaging tests, such as an X-ray, CT scan, or MRI to assess the extent to which the infection has spread
• Arteriogram to see the condition of the arteries and how well blood is flowing in them.
• Check for tissue culture or fluid from the injured skin

How to treat gangrene?

Gangrene can be treated and healed with proper treatment.

Doctors will do a variety of ways, depending on the severity so that complications do not occur. Here are some treatment options for tissue death.

1. Use antibiotics

Tissue loss caused by bacterial infection can be treated with antibiotics, either by drinking antibiotics or by injection.

The most common types of antibiotics prescribed for gangrene are:

• Penicillin.
• Clindamycin.
• Tetracycline.
• Chloramphenicol.
• Metronidazole and cephalosporins.

2. Vascular surgery

In more serious cases, doctors need to perform a surgical process on body tissue that is already infected. For example, repairing bad and not smooth blood vessels.

This surgery is called vascular surgery and aims to increase blood flow through the blood vessels to the tissues of the body.

3. Network department

Apart from vascular surgery, the doctor may also recommend removing the dead tissue. The goal is to prevent the infection from spreading and getting worse and to rid the body of the dead tissue.

4. Biosurgery

The next treatment for gangrene is larval debridement therapy or also known as biosurgery.

This operation uses certain types of larvae to eat dead and infected body tissue and leave healthy body tissue

This particular larva also helps fight infection by releasing substances that kill bacteria while stimulating the healing process in the affected area.

The doctor will place the larvae in the wound and cover it with gauze tightly. After a few days, the bandage is removed and the maggots on the wound are cleaned.

3. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is a treatment for gangrene that requires you to sit or lie down in a special high-pressure room. You will also wear a plastic head covering filled with oxygen for you to inhale.

This oxygen will later enter the bloodstream to reach the clogged area of ​​the bloodstream and cause infection.

This therapy is also able to kill the bacteria that cause gas gangrene and prevent amputation.

4. Amputation

In very severe cases, sometimes the infected body part has to be amputated. This is a last resort to prevent gangrene from spreading to other parts of the body.

Home remedies

What are the home remedies and lifestyle changes to treat gangrene?

Home treatments can support the skin's healing process from gangrene that has been treated. This includes a variety of things, such as:

• Maintaining normal blood sugar levels so that injured skin can recover quickly, one of which is routine blood sugar checks
• Regularly using prescription drugs, both gangrene drugs and other diseases that increase the risk, such as diabetes medications.
• Check your body's health regularly, if you have diabetes or problems with blood vessels

Prevention

How can you prevent gangrene?

Although fatal, gangrene is a condition that you can prevent. Here are some tips to prevent the death of body tissues, namely:

• Diabetic patients must routinely do foot care to the doctor at least once a year, especially if you have diabetes wounds.
• Maintain an ideal body weight, by rearranging diet and increasing physical activity according to conditions.
• Quit smoking and drinking excess alcohol.
• Keep open wounds clean by washing them with water, using gauze, and making sure they are always dry.
• Do not expose the body to cold temperatures for a long time because it can interfere with blood circulation.

If you have any questions, consult your doctor for the best solution to your problem.

Hello Health Group does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.