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Prevention
By Mayo Clinic staffHere are a few suggestions to help you reduce your risk of developing gangrene:
- Care for your diabetes. If you have diabetes, make sure you examine your hands and feet daily for cuts, sores and signs of infection, such as redness, swelling or drainage. Ask your doctor to examine your hands and feet at least once a year.
- Lose weight. Excess pounds not only put you at risk of diabetes, but also place pressure on your arteries, constricting blood flow and putting you at risk of infection and slow wound healing.
- Don't use tobacco. The chronic use of tobacco products can damage your blood vessels.
- Help prevent infections. Wash any open wounds with a mild soap and water and try to keep them clean and dry until they heal.
- Watch out when the temperature drops. Frostbitten skin can lead to gangrene, because frostbite reduces blood circulation in an affected area. If you notice that any area of your skin has become pale, hard, cold and numb after prolonged exposure to cold temperatures, call your doctor.
References
- Neschis DG, et al. Clinical manifestations and evaluation of chronic critical limb ischemia. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index/html. Accessed May 16, 2011.
- Park H, et al. Complex wounds and their management. Surgical Clinics of North America. 2010;90:1181.
- Helviz Y, et al. Bad to worse. The American Journal of Medicine. 2011;124:215.
- Sepsis and septic shock. The Merck Manuals: The Merck Manual for Healthcare Professionals. http://www.merck.com/mmpe/sec06/ch068/ch068a.html. Accessed May 15, 2011.
- Stevens DL, et al. Clostridial myonecrosis. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed May 16, 2011.
- Gas gangrene. American Academy of Pediatrics. http://www.healthychildren.org/English/health-issues/conditions/skin/pages/Gas-Gangrene.aspx. Accessed May 16, 2011.
- Mechem C, et al. Frostbite. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index/html. Accessed May 15, 2011.
- Stevens DL. Necrotizing infections of the skin and fascia. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index/html. Accessed May 16, 2011.
- Intestinal obstruction. The Merck Manuals: The Merck Manual for Healthcare Professionals. http://www.merckmanuals.com/professional/print/sec02/ch011/ch011h.html. Accessed May 26, 2011.
- Mandell JE, et al. Necrotizing fasciitis, Fournier's gangrene In: Mandell JE, et al. Mandell, Douglas, and Bennett's Principles and Practice of Infectious Diseases. 7th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Churchill Livingstone Elsevier; 2010. http://www.mdconsult.com/books/page.do?sid=1163686964&eid=4-u1.0-B978-0-443-06839-3..00043-6--s0035&isbn=978-0-443-06839-3&uniqId=251414141-4. Accessed May 23, 2011.
- Mechem C, et al. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index/html. Accessed May 20, 2011.
- Fujiwara Y, et al. Beneficial effects of foot care nursing for people with diabetes mellitus: An uncontrolled before and after intervention study. Journal of Advanced Nursing. In press. Accessed May 26, 2011.
- Saavedra A, et al. Soft-tissue infections: Erysipelas, cellulitis, gangrenous cellulitis, and myonecrosis. In: Wolff K, et al. Fitzpatrick's Dermatology in General Medicine. 7th ed. New York, N.Y.: The McGraw-Hill Companies; 2008. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aID=2995017&searchStr=gangrene#2995017. Accessed May 27, 2011.
- Coumadin (prescribing information). New York, N.Y.: Bristol-Myers Squibb; 2005. http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/drugsatfda_docs/label/2005/009218s101lbl.pdf. Accessed May 31, 2011.
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