Gas gangrene is an acute, painful, necrotizing infection of soft tissues. It can develop after a trauma, after wounds caused by high velocity projectiles, complicated fractures, deep infected wounds, incorrectly performed abortions, and various surgical interventions. It is a consequence of infection by anaerobic, clostridial bacteria that form gas and exotoxins thus leading to tissue edema with consecutive loss of blood flow, oxygen pressure and leukocyte count, which leads to spreading of infection.
Gas gangrene treatment is based on intensive care, high doses of antibiotics, surgical measures and HBOT. HBOT inhibits toxin production, corrects hypoxia, causes significantly better oxygenation in vital tissue and in the tissue in the vicinity of infected area, and enhances antibiotic activity and immune response as well.
