Gas gangrene is a potentially fatal bacterial infection that causes tissue death and requires surgery to remove damaged tissue. It is caused by the bacterium Clostridium perfringens and can develop after serious injury, surgery, or frostbite. Symptoms include severe pain, discolored tissue, blisters with gas, and fever. Treatment includes antibiotics and surgery, and prompt treatment is essential as death can occur within two days.
Gas gangrene is the death of body tissue caused by a bacterial infection. The bacteria stimulate muscle tissue to produce gases and toxins that cause a person’s tissue to break down and die. Unfortunately, this condition is potentially fatal and usually requires surgery to remove the damaged tissue. Sometimes it is necessary to amputate the person’s limbs as well. Strong antibiotics can also be used as part of your treatment regimen.
When a person has gas gangrene, the bacteria have infected their muscle tissue and started causing the affected tissue to die. Unfortunately, this condition can spread rather quickly and lead to death if not treated aggressively. This condition is not common in most developed countries. However, it affects several thousand people each year in the United States alone.
Gas gangrene typically develops due to an infection with a bacterium called Clostridium perfringens. It usually develops after a person has sustained some sort of serious injury to the area, such as a deep wound affecting muscle tissue, especially one that has become contaminated, or an open fracture. It can also develop in a person who has frostbite or after a contaminated needle prick in the affected person’s muscle. In many cases, a person could also develop this condition after surgery.
Symptoms of gas gangrene include severe pain and swollen, discolored tissue. When a person initially develops gas gangrene, the skin in the affected area may appear paler than usual. After a while, however, it may turn red and take on a brownish appearance. Eventually, the affected person’s skin will likely develop a blackish and greenish discoloration.
This condition also causes blisters that have gas inside them, and an individual can even feel gas bubbles under the surface of their skin. In many cases, fluid will leak from the affected tissue and the wound will smell bad. The patient may also develop fever and yellowing of the whites of the eyes and skin.
Treatment for gas gangrene is aggressive and usually includes powerful antibiotics and surgery to remove the decayed tissue. Depending on the areas affected and the extent of the condition, amputation may also be necessary. Prompt treatment is key, as an affected person can die within just two days without it. Sadly, even some of those who are treated may die regardless.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
