Part of a leg, showing traumatic gangrene of foot
GC.10404
Part of a leg, showing traumatic gangrene of foot.
From a male aged 22 years who was caught between a motor lorry and a cable car, and suffered a compound fracture of the right tibia. Owing to extensive injury to the blood vessels, gangrene of the foot ensued. Amputation was carried out eleven days after the accident.
Two widely open lacerated wounds are present - one over the anterior and medial aspects of the lower end of the tibia and the other behind the medial malleolus. These wounds are partly occupied by darkly stained necrotic skin which is continuous with a broad belt of similar necrotic skin extending below the medial malleolus from the hollow of the calcaneus to the mid-line in front. The foot is darkly stained by altered bleed pigment and the cuticle is separating from the oedematous skin. On the lateral aspect the discoloration extends for several inches above the lateral malleolus and there is no evidence of the formation of a line of demarcation.
