What is Gangrene?

Gangrene is the death of the part of a body. It may be a toe, a finger, a part of the intestine or a leg etc.

Gangrene occurs due to the lack of blood supply to that particular part of the body. This can be due to blockage of the blood vessels by fat deposits or blood clots or due to blockage as a consequence of infection.

Types of gangrene?

Dry Gangrene– It occurs due to lack of blood supply due to blockage of blood vessel.

Wet Gangrene– It occurs due damage to body part by infection.

Treatment

Removal of the gangrenous part with treatment of infection with antibiotics guided with blood tests is required. Patients may require prolonged hospital stay. In cases with dry gangrene, patients will be advised to undergo procedures to restore blood flow which could be keyhole procedures like angioplasty or open surgery like a bypass surgery or a combination of both.