There are several options for gangrene treatment. Your provider will choose the best method or combination of methods for you depending on the cause of your condition and how far it has progressed.
The goals of treatment are to:
Remove dead or infected tissue from your body.
Prevent or treat infection to keep gangrene from spreading.
Help your blood flow better.
Tissue removal
Your provider may perform traditional surgery to remove dead or infected tissue.
Another method is larval debridement therapy, a type of biosurgery. Larval debridement therapy uses maggots bred in a lab to get rid of your damaged tissue. Your provider places these maggots on your wound and covers the area with a bandage. The maggots feed on the dead tissue, and they don’t disturb your healthy tissue. They also release substances that help your skin heal. This process takes a few days.
Another surgical option is amputation. This may be the only option if the gangrene is severe and threatens more of your healthy tissue.
Infection control
When a bacterial infection causes gangrene, you need antibiotics. Your provider will prescribe the proper dosage for you.
Blood flow restoration
A surgeon may perform surgery or a procedure to help blood flow better in your affected blood vessels. Options include:
Bypass surgery: A surgeon creates a new path for your blood to flow that avoids the blockage.
Angioplasty: A surgeon inflates a small balloon inside your artery to make it wider so blood can flow through. They may also insert a stent.
Other treatments
Other treatments that help people with gangrene include:
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT): High levels of oxygen circulate through your body’s tissues, helping to heal them. This may help people who have gas gangrene or gangrene caused by diabetic foot ulcers.
Skin graft surgery: Your provider uses healthy skin from another part of your body to cover scars or damaged skin following treatment.
