There are many diseases that threaten a person’s life. Without timely help, you can remain disabled for life. One of these diseases is gangrene. Let's see why it occurs, how to treat and what is the prognosis of this disease.
What kind of disease is gangrene?
Mention of this disease was found in Hippocrates and Celsus. The word "gangrene" comes from the Greek graino, which means "gnaw." In ancient times, people called this disease "anton fire."
Gangrene is a disease characterized by the death of body tissues. They reach black, brown or dark blue. Gangrene can spread to both tissues and organs. For example, in skin cells, subcutaneous tissue, muscles, lungs, intestines, and so on. This disease can flow quickly, or maybe slowly.
The darkening of dead tissue is explained by the fact that hemoglobin accumulates in these areas, which releases iron, it is converted into a salt - iron sulfate, it is this compound that gives this color. Most people with gangrene are affected by diseases of the heart and blood vessels in old age. With impaired blood flow, blood circulates poorly, especially in places distant from the heart, so the arms and legs are most often susceptible to this disease.
How gangrene is classified
This disease is divided according to several signs.
- According to the composition of the affected tissue:
- dry gangrene;
- wet gangrene.
2. The etiology of gangrene disease is:
3. By pathogenesis:
- gas;
- lightning fast;
- hospital
As a rule, the development of a wet form proceeds quickly, and dry gangrene develops slowly.
Causes of tissue necrosis
There are several reasons for the occurrence of any type of gangrene:
1. Blood circulation disturbance. It is broken gradually, while the lower limbs are more vulnerable. So dry gangrene develops. And there are also factors that can contribute to circulatory disorders :
- strongly compressing, improperly applied plaster cast, it compresses blood vessels and disrupts blood flow;
- long stay under squeezing heavy objects in catastrophes;
- a tourniquet that stops bleeding for a long time is on the arm or leg.
2. Diseases of the cardiovascular system:
- pathology of the heart;
- atherosclerosis;
- thrombosis;
- thromboembolism;
- obliterating endarteritis.
3. Infection. Gangrene may develop as a result of infection when an open injury occurs. Great risk of wounds for diabetics and people with vascular disease. In the soil there are always such microbes that can cause gangrene, getting into the wound:
- enterobacteria;
- E. coli;
- streptococcus;
- Proteus.
The most dangerous are clostridia, which can cause gas gangrene, and they live in an environment that does not have oxygen.
4. Frostbite and burns. Dry gangrene can occur with burns with chemical acids, as well as alkalis.
With such influences, tissues are destroyed, blood circulation is disturbed, the inflammatory process joins. If the body is weakened by diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular diseases, infections are easier to penetrate and gain the upper hand.
5. Mechanical injuries.
If tissue damage has occurred over a large area, the infection can very easily join.
Dry gangrene is not life threatening to the patient, as opposed to wet. Let's consider it in more detail.
Signs and development of dry gangrene
And now about how dry gangrene arises and proceeds. Symptoms can be observed in the following order:
- The appearance of severe pain in the feet, as well as toes, for no reason.
- The damaged area is initially pale in color, and then a bluish tint appears.
- Constantly cold limbs.
- Numbness is often felt.
- The skin wrinkles in the affected area.
- The gangrene site becomes smaller.
- Further, the color becomes black or dark brown.
- The diseased area loses sensitivity.
- The pain goes away.
- There is a clear distinction between healthy and affected areas.
- In healthy areas, the above symptoms do not apply.
- In general, the patient's condition is satisfactory, since toxins do not enter the blood.
Over time, the affected area dries up, can disconnect. This equates to recovery. What the limb looks like on which dry gangrene develops, the photo clearly demonstrates.
Alarms of the disease
There are signs that should alert. Their appearance may be the first symptom of the development of gangrene. After all, dry gangrene can develop over the years.
- Freezing limbs even in hot weather.
- Fatigue when walking, pain in the legs.
- Leg cramps.
- Damage, even small ones, does not heal on the foot or foot for a long time.
- The gangrene site loses sensitivity.
- It turns from pale to cyanotic, then begins to blacken.
- In the affected area, ulcers appear that heal poorly.
Do not leave these signs unattended, it is advisable to hurry to the doctor.
Dry and wet gangrene are two concepts that have a very thin line between them, since the first can go into the second, and then the forecasts regarding the disease will become more gloomy. And in the treatment of the wet form, doctors seek to achieve dry gangrene so that it does not threaten the patient's life.
How is gangrene diagnosed?
If you find signs of gangrene, you should consult a surgeon. You may need to consult a narrower specialist, depending on the location of the affected area. To establish the whole picture, the doctor can ask such questions:
- Was there an injury?
- How did the damaged place heal?
- Are there any pains and are there any other symptoms?
- What temperature did it rise?
- What diseases does the patient have? Heart and vascular disease?
- What are the indicators of sugar? Is there any diabetes?
If you have signs of gangrene development, then the following tests will be prescribed:
- General blood analysis.
- Blood chemistry. He can indicate the cause of the development of gangrene. If a specialist is concerned about your condition, there is a development of wet gangrene, a blood test is done on the spot for several minutes.
- Blood is tested for sterility. It is possible to establish the causative agent of a developing infection.
- A bacteriological study of discharge from the wound is carried out.
- X-ray of muscles in a sore spot.
Dry Gangrene Treatment
As mentioned above, gangrene affects areas that are far from the heart, suffering from impaired blood flow. First of all, these are the extremities, therefore, we will consider how the treatment goes if the patient has dry gangrene of the lower extremities.
In order to prevent the development of the disease, at the first symptoms it is necessary to consult a doctor and begin treatment. What is the treatment?
- At the initial stage, it is advisable to try to restore normal blood circulation.
- Prescribe a vitamin complex and drugs that help improve blood circulation in small vessels.
- Medications that stimulate the body’s immune system.
- Antibiotics are prescribed that will reduce the inflammatory process.
- The application of ointments affecting the affected area is shown.
- It is possible to prescribe physiotherapy using infrared radiation. This will accelerate tissue regeneration, stop the spread of cell necrosis, and improve blood circulation. This treatment is becoming increasingly popular.
- If the treatment gives good results, then the appointment of physiotherapy exercises is possible.
As a rule, the general condition of the patient does not worsen if it is dry gangrene. Treatment will continue until a clear line is drawn separating dead and healthy tissues. Then surgery is possible.
There are several surgical techniques that have been shown to be effective in controlling dry gangrene:
- Necrotomy. During the operation, the surgeon dissects the affected tissue in order to ensure the outflow of fluid from the inflamed area.
- Necrectomy In this case, dead tissue is removed while maintaining healthy ones. Such manipulation can be performed in several passes, this allows you to save the most organ and tissue.
- Resection is the removal of organs if they are affected by gangrene.
- Amputation. Most often, this method is resorted to if gangrene affects the limbs. In order to prevent the spread of the process to healthy areas, if the treatment does not give the desired effect, the doctor makes this decision.
If it is not running dry gangrene, treatment without amputation is possible. Having stopped the process at the initial stage, the diseases do not allow to take possession of a larger area. If the disease has gone too far, then, as a rule, it is not possible to save the affected limb.
A high likelihood of developing gangrene in elderly bedridden patients. In this case, special care and a mandatory examination for vascular patency are necessary.
Folk remedies for the treatment of gangrene
Folk remedies for the treatment of gangrene can be used only after consulting a doctor. It is impossible to cure gangrene using only traditional medicine, especially in a wet state. It is dangerous to your health. Traditional healers offer several recipes to alleviate the condition.
- If you have dry gangrene of the foot, you can use young shoots of needles for treatment. Take 5 tablespoons of crushed needles, pour boiling water in a volume of 0.5 liters, boil for 10 minutes. Then stand the broth in a thermos for 12 hours. Drink every day instead of tea.
- Dry foot gangrene is treated as follows. Boil the willow and willow branches for several minutes. Then rinse the affected area with this decoction, attach branches and fix with a bandage. Leave overnight. In the morning, remove the bandage and grease the affected area with honey.
- You can make an ointment to treat gangrene. For this you will need: honey, rosin, laundry soap, fresh lard, vegetable oil. All components are taken at 50 grams. Melt the fat, chop the soap, add the rest, put on the stove and bring to a boil. Cool and add 50 grams of crushed onions, garlic, aloe. Healing ointment is ready. Before use, heat in a water bath.
Dry Gangrene Complications
Any doctor will say: if there is no appropriate and timely treatment for gangrene, then this will inevitably result in irreversible disorders in the tissues. Since gangrenous lesions can have different localization, depending on this complication can be as follows:
- Sepsis or blood poisoning. It occurs as a result of the ingress of tissue decay products into the bloodstream.
- If there is gangrene of the internal organs, then not far from peritonitis.
- Under the influence of the pathological process, destruction of blood vessels can occur.
- Fatal outcome.
In order to prevent such complications in the presence of suspicious symptoms that may indicate developing gangrene, it is necessary to consult a specialist. Only timely and competent treatment will stop the process and prevent complications from developing.
Forecast
For a disease such as dry gangrene, the prognosis is generally good. If you do not start the disease and do not allow the process to go into a wet form. Intoxication of the body does not occur, the general condition is normal. The dead part can self-amputate without surgical intervention. If gangrene is detected in the early stages, localization of the focus is possible, minimizing it, which does not require surgical intervention.
If we talk about the prognosis of wet gangrene, human life depends on its development. Infection can spread to the heart, kidneys, liver, which can cause the death of the patient. Gangrene of the internal organs requires their immediate removal.
Disease prevention
In order not to develop gangrene, it is necessary to treat all diseases that can provoke tissue necrosis.
- Timely treatment of wounds in accordance with all the rules.
- If you have a burn or frostbite, be sure to show the damaged area to the doctor, he will prescribe the appropriate treatment.
- It is necessary to treat diseases that worsen blood circulation: heart and vascular diseases.
- Timely eliminate infectious diseases.
- Fight bad habits.
- Diabetics need to regularly examine the lower extremities, feet to detect damage so that immediate treatment is prescribed, since such patients have a high risk of developing gangrene.
If you follow these simple recommendations, then that you will be overtaken by gangrene, you do not have to worry. Be attentive to yourself and your loved ones.