Content

• Steps
• Method 1 of 2: Getting Medical Help
• Method 2 of 2: Treatments
• Warnings

Gangrene is a serious medical condition that requires immediate professional medical treatment. The longer you wait, the less chances of a full recovery will be. Doctors often treat gangrene by removing dead tissue from the disease, administering antibiotics, and using a variety of treatments, including oxygen therapy and maggot therapy. Learn how gangrene is treated so you know what to expect.

Steps

Method 1 of 2: Getting Medical Help

1. 1 Seek medical attention if you think you have dry gangrene. Gangrene can occur due to changes or problems in the skin, and in some cases, due to ischemia of the extremities (blockage of the arteries to the shins and feet). All types of gangrene require professional medical attention. If you think you have dry gangrene (even if it's a mild case), you should see your doctor as soon as possible. Dry gangrene symptoms include:
   • dry and wrinkled skin that peels off easily in layers
   • bluish or black skin
   • cold and numb skin
   • pain (not always)
2. 2 Go to an emergency room if you have wet gangrene. Although all types of gangrene require prompt medical treatment, wet gangrene is likely to be accompanied by an infection that will be difficult to treat if it gets into your bloodstream. Wet gangrene can also be caused by injuries, so you may need medical attention for that as well. Seek medical attention if you notice any of the following symptoms of wet gangrene:
   • swelling and pain in the affected area
   • skin color changed from red to brown and then to black
   • blisters or sores with foul-smelling discharge (pus)
   • heat
   • feeling unwell in general
   • crackle when pressed on the affected area
3. 3 Beware of severe disease symptoms. After determining that you have gangrene, watch for certain symptoms that indicate gangrene has infected your blood, which requires immediate medical attention. If you notice any of the following symptoms, call the ambulance number immediately:
   • low blood pressure
   • accelerated heartbeat
   • difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
   • sudden change in body temperature
   • pain all over the body
   • rash
   • disorientation and / or dizziness
   • cold, clammy, pale skin

Method 2 of 2: Treatments

1. 1 Take antibiotics and other prescription medications. Your doctor may prescribe intravenous or oral antibiotics as treatment. You may also be given medications to regulate your blood sugar, as this and short-term glycemic control improves long-term treatment outcome and prevents infection. If you want to get rid of gangrene quickly, take your doctor's prescribed antibiotics and other medications as directed.
   • If you experience side effects or think you no longer need the medication, do not stop taking it until you talk to your doctor.
   • Do not stop taking antibiotics until you have completed the full course of treatment. Otherwise, their effectiveness will come to naught, and the infection itself will then be much more difficult to cure.
2. 2 Go through flushing and wound debridement. Wounds with dead tissue, infection, or suture remnants must be sanitized before further treatment can proceed. To remove bacterial contamination and foreign particles, the wound must be washed.
   • During surgical debridement, the doctor removes dead tissue and other foreign particles with a scalpel or scissors.
   • Enzymatic wound cleansing involves the application of various enzyme preparations to the wound.
3. 3 Get oxygen therapy. Sometimes oxygen therapy can be used to treat damaged tissue. To do this, you will be placed in a special chamber filled with oxygen. The oxygen concentration in this chamber is much higher than in a normal environment. This treatment leads to faster and more successful healing.
   • Oxygen therapy will have a positive effect on wound healing and reduce the amount of tissue that will have to be removed.
   • Oxygen therapy is also incredibly useful for surgical wound infections, including the genus Clostridia, which cause gas gangrene. This is the kind of gangrene that occurs inside the body.
4. 4 Consider using other treatments. Biological treatments such as maggot treatment have been used to treat ulcers, chronic venous ulcers, diabetic ulcers, and other acute or chronic wounds. Recombinant human growth factors are currently being considered as potential treatments for wounds. These factors include platelet growth factor, fibroblast growth factor, and granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor. To speed up wound healing, your doctor may recommend one of the above treatments.
   • Do not jump to negative conclusions about maggot treatment. Sterile, lab-grown larvae are often used to treat gangrene. Due to the fact that the larvae only eat dead tissue, they can be placed on the affected area and allowed to eat all the dead skin. This process will also help your body heal itself and prevent infection.
5. 5 Talk to your doctor about amputation. You may need surgery to remove the affected tissue. If they are not removed, gangrene can increase and cause further damage to the rest of your body, and in some cases even lead to death.Therefore, to completely cure you of gangrene, your doctor may need to remove a finger or toe, an entire leg, or an arm.
   • Even if during the operation it was possible to open the artery and restore blood flow to the affected area, surgical removal of dead tissue is used in almost every case of gangrene.
6. 6 Treat the condition that caused the gangrene. Gangrene can be caused by diabetes, atherosclerosis of the extremities, peripheral arterial disease, smoking, trauma, obesity, and Raynaud's disease. To restore normal blood flow to affected tissues and improve health, you may need to treat the underlying condition with medication or surgery. Discuss treatment options with your doctor.

Warnings

• Don't try to cure gangrene yourself. Without professional medical treatment, gangrene will only get worse. Get immediate medical attention if you think you have a type of gangrene.
• Always follow the instructions of your general practitioner or emergency doctor for treating anemic injury and gangrene.