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Medical Author:

Ronald A Greenfield, MD

Coauthor:

Shehnaz Shaikh, MD

Medical Editor:

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, Chief Medical Editor

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, Chief Medical Editor

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, is a U.S. board-certified Anatomic Pathologist with subspecialty training in the fields of Experimental and Molecular Pathology. Dr. Stöppler's educational background includes a BA with Highest Distinction from the University of Virginia and an MD from the University of North Carolina. She completed residency training in Anatomic Pathology at Georgetown University followed by subspecialty fellowship training in molecular diagnostics and experimental pathology.

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Outlook

The outlook for a person with gangrene depends on the following factors:

• Part of the body affected
  
  
• The extent of gangrene
  
  
• The cause of gangrene
  
  
• The overall health status of the individual

The prognosis is generally favorable except in people in whom the infection has spread through the blood stream. Gangrene is usually curable in the early stages with intravenous antibiotic treatment and debridement. Without treatment, gangrene may lead to a fatal infection.

Gas gangrene can progress quickly; the spread of infection to the bloodstream is associated with a death rate of 20-25%. However, if it is diagnosed and treated early, approximately 80% of people with gas gangrene survive without the need for any amputation, and only 15-20% require some form of amputation.

People with dry gangrene most often have many other health problems that complicate recovery, and other system failures usually prove fatal.