Gangrene following intra-arterial injection of procaine penicillin.

Irreversible ischaemic gangrene of the upper limb developed in a one-year-old child after an unintentional intra-arterial injection of procaine penicillin. The hand needed amputation. Arterial embolization phenomenon along with intense vasospasm appears to have been responsible for this rare complication. Unintentional intra-arterial injection of penicillin intended for intra-muscular use may lead to disastrous consequences. Regional tissue necrosis has been described previously but ischaemia leading to gangrene of an extremity has not been reported. The following is a case report of a child who developed such a gangrene in his hand which had to be amputated.