Gas gangrene causes very painful swelling. The skin turns pale to brownish-red. If you press on the swollen area with your fingers, you may feel gas as a crackly sensation. The edges of the infected area grow so quickly that changes can be seen over a few minutes. The area may be completely destroyed.

Symptoms include:

• Air under the skin (subcutaneous emphysema)

• Blisters filled with brown-red fluid

• Drainage from the tissues, foul-smelling brown-red or bloody fluid (serosanguineous discharge)

• Increased heart rate (tachycardia)

• Moderate to high fever

• Moderate to severe pain around a skin injury

• Pale skin color, later becoming dusky and changing to dark red or purple

• Progressive swelling around a skin injury

• Sweating

• Vesicle formation, combining into large blisters

• Yellow color to the skin (jaundice)

Note: Symptoms usually begin suddenly and quickly worsen.