Multiple Peripheral Gangrene

MULTIPLE.ULTIPLE peripheral gangrene as used here refers to the rapid and practically simultaneous development of necrosis of the distal portions of two or more widely separated external appendages. At times this rare event can be a difficult diagnostic problem. The purpose of this communication is to present an unusual case of multiple peripheral gangrene and to enumerate the disorders associated with such a complication. REPORT OF A CASE A 38-year-old Negro woman was admitted to the Ben Taub General Hospital on Jan 4, 1964, and died on January 30. She was first seen seven months before her admission, after receiving a beating about the head and neck. Her blood pressure then was 130/90 mm Hg. Neurological examination, urinalysis, and roentgenograms of her chest and skull revealed no abnormalities.About two weeks later, she experienced the abrupt onset of severe, intermittent pain in the epigastrium and lower anterior portion of her