Miscellaneous

Miscellaneous

Other types of gangrene commonly encountered include bedsores and frostbite. Bedsores are gangrene caused by local pressure ( Figure 61.27 ), whereas frostbite is caused by exposure to cold ( Figure 61.28 ). Both are preventable with adequate protective measures.

Figure 61.28 (a) Frostbite of the foot. Note the clear demarcation. (b) Frostbite of the middle /f_i nger in the same patient. The index /f_i nger was lost 2 years before, also from frostbite.

Sudden occlusion of an artery is usually caused by an embolus. It may also happen when thrombosis occurs on an atheroscle rotic plaque, although the outcome is usually less dramatic because collaterals are likely to have developed in chronic arterial stenosis.