Does Gangrene Get Into the Blood Stream?

Gangrene is a condition in which a lack of blood supply to a part of the body leads to the death of tissue in that body part, according to Mayo Clinic. It is most often seen in the extremities because the blood supply to the extremities can be compromised easily from disease or injury. Therefore, gangrene is a sign of a disease process, not something that can travel into the bloodstream itself.

Gangrene

• Gangrene is the death of tissues of the body from anoxia, or a lack of oxygen. As the tissue dies, it loses its color, then becomes blue, and, finally, at an advanced stage, becomes black. Gangrene is a sign of tissue death, not the cause.

Causes

• There are different causes for gangrene, including injury, diseases such as diabetes, and, on occasion, infectious disease from bacteria. Basically, anything that blocks blood or oxygen from getting to a part of the body causes gangrene, according to Mayo Clinic.

Infectivity

• Gangrene is not something that travels within the body or from person to person, per se. Rather, if the condition that caused the gangrene is transmissible, the gangrene may be passed on as a sign of the infection itself.

Blood Infections

• Numerous bacterial infections may infect the blood and then travel to a limb and cause gangrene there. Meningitis is a particularly bad infection known to cause the loss of limbs in infected individuals.

Prevention/Solution

• Gangrene can be prevented if the injury to the limb is recognized and action is taken. Hyperbaric treatment and medication to restore blood and oxygen to the area may be successful.