Treatment and Prevention
Gangrene often spreads so quickly that it can't be stopped by antibiotics alone. The best modern treatment consists of a three-pronged approach:
- Antibiotics help slow the infection and clear small, unnoticed pockets of bacteria.
- A surgeon debrides (cuts away) the infected flesh and a margin around it to prevent further spread. If debridement isn't enough, amputation is the next step.
- The patient is put in a hyperbaric chamber if one is available. This is a sealed metal tank pumped full of oxygen under high pressure. The pressure forces oxygen into the tissues, stopping the spread of anaerobic bacteria. Hyperbaric chambers were invented to help sea divers with the bends, but they have many uses in medicine.
Antibiotics and surgery are commonly used as the principle treatments for gangrene and have been proven to be very effective. Hyperbaric chambers aren't widely used because many hospitals don't have access to them.
With modern treatment methods, 80% of gangrene victims survive, though most lose some muscle tissue. People can reduce their chances of suffering these complications by cleaning all wounds thoroughly with antiseptic, watching for signs of pus, redness, swelling, or unusual pain, and seeing a doctor about any wound that might be infected.