It is a condition in which tissues dies (necrosis) due to insufficiency of blood supply.
It is usually associated with diseases like Diabetes and long term cigarette smoking.

 

Symptoms

• Swelling and pain at the site of infection
• Change in skin color from red to brown to black
• Blisters or sores that produce a bad-smelling discharge (pus)
• Fever and feeling unwell
• A crackling noise that comes from the affected area when pressed

Causes

• Dry Gangrene:
  It is the form of necrosis  where the blood supply is inadequate to keep tissue viable. It is often due to peripheral vascular disease (disease of arteries/ veins). Infection doesn’t occur but when gangrene occurs tissue/ limbs cannot be saved.
• Wet Gangrene:

Wet, or infected, gangrene is characterized by thriving bacteria and has a poor prognosis (compared to dry gangrene) due to septicemia.

• Gas Gangerene:
  Gas gangrene is a bacterial infection that produces gas within tissues. It can be caused by Clostridium perfringens. Infection spreads rapidly as the gases produced by bacteria expand and infiltrate healthy tissue in the vicinity. Because of its ability to quickly spread to surrounding tissues, gas gangrene should be treated as a medical emergency.

Risk Factors

• Diabetes
• Atherosclerosis
• Peripheral arterial disease
• Smoking
• Trauma or serious injury
• Obesity
• Raynaud's phenomenon (a condition in which the blood vessels that supply the skin become intermittently narrowed)

Treatment

Gangrene should always be considered as a medical emergency. Treatment is generally determined by the location of affected tissue and extent of tissue loss. Treatments include antibiotic therapy, wound care, debridement and surgical amputation.