Gangrene
WOUND, CIRCULATION & LIMB-RISK CARE
Gangrene happens when tissue dies because of severely reduced blood flow, infection, or injury. It can become limb-threatening and sometimes life-threatening, so new blackened skin, severe pain, drainage, spreading redness, odor, fever, or rapidly worsening wounds should be evaluated urgently.
- Tissue damage from poor blood flow
- May involve infection or open wounds
- Urgent evaluation may be needed
- Treatment depends on cause and severity
Evaluation & Next Steps
- Clear severity assessment and next steps
- Supportive care and recovery guidance
- Care across 4 Las Vegas locations
Call: (702) 703-4340
Hours: Mon–Fri: 8am–5pm
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Quick Summary
Key Takeaway: Gangrene is a serious sign that tissue is not receiving enough blood supply or has been damaged by infection or injury.
Evaluation focuses on identifying the cause, checking circulation, looking for infection, protecting nearby tissue, and determining whether wound care, vascular treatment, antibiotics, surgery, or hospital-based care is needed.
Gangrene Overview
What is Gangrene?
Gangrene is tissue death. It may affect toes, feet, legs, or other areas and can develop when blood flow is blocked, infection spreads, or tissue is severely injured.
Why Evaluation Matters
Gangrene can progress quickly. Prompt evaluation helps determine whether circulation can be improved, infection is present, and what steps are needed to protect the limb and overall health.
Gangrene Symptoms
Symptoms vary depending on the cause and whether infection is present, but visible tissue change, wound progression, and systemic symptoms should never be ignored.
Blackened or Discolored Skin
Skin may become black, blue, purple, gray, or dark red as tissue damage progresses.
Severe Pain or Numbness
Some patients have intense pain, while others develop numbness as tissue and nerves are affected.
Drainage, Odor, or Open Wounds
Gangrene may occur with draining wounds, foul odor, blisters, or skin breakdown.
Fever or Spreading Redness
Infection signs may include fever, chills, warmth, swelling, or redness spreading from the wound.
Seek care now if…
Seek urgent medical care for blackened tissue, rapidly worsening wounds, fever, chills, spreading redness, foul drainage, severe pain, sudden numbness, or signs of infection.
Gangrene Causes & Risk Factors
Gangrene usually develops when tissue is damaged by poor circulation, infection, trauma, or a combination of these problems.
Common Causes
- Severe peripheral artery disease
- Diabetic foot wounds
- Infected ulcers
- Traumatic tissue injury
Poor blood flow can prevent oxygen and nutrients from reaching tissue, while infection can accelerate tissue damage and increase the risk of serious complications.
Risk Factors
- Diabetes
- Peripheral artery disease
- Smoking history
- Chronic wounds
- Prior foot ulcers
- Kidney disease
- Immune system problems
- Delayed wound care
Gangrene Diagnosis
Diagnosis focuses on confirming tissue damage, checking for infection, and determining whether poor circulation is contributing to the wound or skin change.
Typical Evaluation
- Examine skin and wound changes
- Check pulses and circulation
- Review diabetes and wound history
- Order vascular testing when needed
- Assess infection severity
What to Bring
- Current medication list
- Wound care records
- Recent lab or culture results
- Prior vascular imaging
- Photos showing wound changes
Gangrene Treatment Options
Treatment depends on the cause, location, infection severity, circulation, wound depth, and whether the tissue damage is stable or spreading.
Related care may include urgent wound evaluation, infection management, vascular testing, circulation-restoring treatment, surgical consultation, and coordinated limb-salvage planning when appropriate.
Urgent Wound Evaluation
- Assess tissue viability
- Document wound depth
- Check drainage or odor
- Identify infection signs
Circulation & Infection Management
- Evaluate blood flow
- Review vascular testing
- Coordinate antibiotics when needed
- Protect nearby tissue
Vascular / Limb-Salvage Planning
- Ultrasound or imaging review
- Revascularization discussion
- Wound care coordination
- Specialist referral when needed
When Emergency Care Is Needed
- Fever or chills
- Spreading redness
- Severe worsening pain
- Rapid tissue color change
Gangrene Recovery & Follow-Up
Recovery depends on the cause, how quickly care begins, whether infection is controlled, and whether circulation can be improved enough to support healing.
What Helps Most
- Early evaluation when skin color or wounds change
- Blood-flow assessment when circulation is a concern
- Infection control if redness, drainage, odor, or fever develops
- Consistent wound care to protect surrounding tissue
- Risk-factor management for diabetes, smoking, and vascular disease
When to Follow Up
- Blackened tissue appears or expands
- Pain suddenly worsens or numbness develops
- Drainage or odor increases
- Fever, chills, or spreading redness occurs
- A wound does not heal despite care
- Circulation testing shows reduced blood flow
Frequently Asked Questions
Gangrene is tissue death caused by severely reduced blood flow, infection, injury, or a combination of these problems.
Gangrene can be urgent or emergent, especially if there is fever, spreading redness, severe pain, rapid color change, drainage, odor, or signs of infection.
Common causes include severe peripheral artery disease, diabetes-related wounds, infected ulcers, trauma, and poor circulation.
Diagnosis may include wound examination, pulse and circulation checks, vascular testing, imaging, lab work, and infection assessment.
Yes. Reduced blood flow can prevent tissue from getting enough oxygen and can make wounds harder to heal.
Treatment may include wound care, antibiotics, vascular evaluation, procedures to improve blood flow, surgical consultation, or hospital-based care depending on severity.
Locations
LVVIS offers vein evaluation and treatment planning at multiple Las Vegas locations. Choose the office that is most convenient when scheduling your visit.
LVVIS West Side Consultation Office
8930 W Sunset Rd, Suite 350
Las Vegas, NV 89148
Consultations and vascular evaluations
LV2 Limb & Vascular Division
8930 W Sunset Rd, Suite 350
Las Vegas, NV 89148
Limb preservation and podiatry partnership care
LVVIS East Procedure Office
2250 E Flamingo Rd, Suite 100
Las Vegas, NV 89119
Procedures, diagnostics, and circulatory care
LVVIS West Side Surgical Center
6120 S Fort Apache Rd, Suite 100
Las Vegas, NV 89148
Advanced vascular and interventional procedures