Necrotising fasciitis can lead to skin gangrene. In this article we explore necrotising fasciitis and skin gangrene in more detail, explaining how the infection causes gangrene and what treatment should be provided.
Skin gangrene
Skin gangrene is when the body tissue dies because of a lack of blood and oxygen. In medical terms, tissue death is known as tissue necrosis.
The tissue in our body is supplied with a constant stream of blood. This blood carries oxygen and nutrients to the tissues and also carries away any waste products. Therefore if the blood supply is reduced or cut off altogether, the tissue will become deficient in oxygen and waste products will build up. Without enough oxygen the cells will not survive and the tissue will quickly deteriorate. Within a short space of time the tissue will have deteriorated to such an extent that it becomes gangrenous and dies.
Gangrene from necrotising fasciitis
There are various ways in which a person can develop skin gangrene, one of which is through an infection such as necrotising fasciitis.
Necrotising fasciitis is a bacterial infection that is very aggressive in nature. It happens when certain kinds of bacteria get into the body through a break in the skin and travel down to the deep tissues. The bacteria then multiply, and it is this process which causes a poisonous chemical to be released into the body.
The chemical released by the bacteria is very harmful and damages the tissue. This injury will disrupt the flow of blood to the infected tissue, making it deficient in blood and oxygen. As described above, this will cause the tissue to break down, leaving a patient with skin gangrene.
The appearance of the tissue once it has become gangrenous will be unpleasant. Ordinarily there will be pus-filled blisters on the skin, while the skin itself will turn dark red to purple and black in colour.
Treating necrotising fasciitis
Unless necrotising fasciitis is treated, the area of gangrenous tissue will continue to grow in size. To stop this happening, medical practitioners must give the patient intravenous antibiotics and, importantly, surgically remove all of the infected tissue. This is called debridement surgery.
If medical practitioners fail to provide treatment with a reasonable amount of time – perhaps because a prompt diagnosis was not made – there could be grounds for a medical negligence compensation claim.
For more information about claiming compensation for necrotising fasciitis, please get in touch with us today.
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