Treatment[edit]

There are many causes of necrosis, and as such treatment is based upon how the necrosis
came about. Treatment of necrosis typically involves two distinct processes: Usually, the
underlying cause of the necrosis must be treated before the dead tissue itself can be dealt with.

 Debridement, referring to the removal of dead tissue by surgical or non-surgical means,

is the standard therapy for necrosis. Depending on the severity of the necrosis, this may
range from removal of small patches of skin to complete amputation of affected limbs or
organs. Chemical removal of necrotic tissue is another option in which enzymatic debriding
agents, categorised as proteolytic, fibrinolytic or collagenases, are used to target the various
components of dead tissue.[18] In select cases, special maggot therapy using Lucilia
sericata larvae has been employed to remove necrotic tissue and infection. [19]
 In the case of ischemia, which includes myocardial infarction, the restriction of blood
supply to tissues causes hypoxia and the creation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) that
react with, and damage proteins and membranes. Antioxidant treatments can be applied to
scavenge the ROS.[20]
 Wounds caused by physical agents, including physical trauma and chemical burns, can
be treated with antibiotics and anti-inflammatory drugs to prevent bacterial infection and
inflammation. Keeping the wound clean from infection also prevents necrosis.
 Chemical and toxic agents (e.g. pharmaceutical drugs, acids, bases) react with the skin
leading to skin loss and eventually necrosis. Treatment involves identification and
discontinuation of the harmful agent, followed by treatment of the wound, including
prevention of infection and possibly the use of immunosuppressive therapies such as anti-
inflammatory drugs or immunosuppressants.[21] In the example of a snake bite, the use
of anti-venom halts the spread of toxins whilst receiving antibiotics to impede infection.[22]
Even after the initial cause of the necrosis has been halted, the necrotic tissue will remain in the
body. The body's immune response to apoptosis, which involves the automatic breaking down
and recycling of cellular material, is not triggered by necrotic cell death due to the apoptotic
pathway being disabled.[23]

In plants[edit]
If calcium is deficient, pectin cannot be synthesized, and therefore the cell walls cannot be
bonded and thus an impediment of the meristems. This will lead to necrosis of stem and root tips
and leaf edges.[24] For example, necrosis of tissue can occur in Arabidopsis thaliana due to plant
pathogens.
Cacti such as the Saguaro and Cardon in the Sonoran Desert experience necrotic patch
formation regularly; a species of Dipterans called Drosophila mettleri has developed a p450
detoxification system to enable it to use the exudates released in these patches to both nest and
feed larvae