Everything needs to know about phlebitis

What is Phlebitis?

An inflammation known as phlebitis or thrombophlebitis can lead to the formation of a blood clot in a vein, commonly in your leg. The condition is referred to as superficial phlebitis when it affects a vein near the surface of your skin. Deep vein thrombosis is the medical term for it when it involves a deeper vein (DVT).

A blood clot in a deep vein may get loose in deep vein thrombosis and move through your bloodstream to your lungs. A pulmonary embolism, a deadly obstruction that prevents blood from reaching your lungs, may result from this.

Why Does Phlebitis Occur?

A vein's specific localized injury frequently results in phlebitis—a shot into an IV. However, as inactivity lessens the frequency of muscular contractions, which can lead to blood pooling in veins, phlebitis can also arise from prolonged inactivity.

Phlebitis can affect everyone, although some people are more prone to getting it than others. Patients with connective tissue disorders or breast, pancreatic, and ovarian cancer are at higher risk of developing phlebitis because their ailments make them more susceptible to blood clots. Phlebitis risk is also increased by weight, pregnancy, smoking, and a family history of blood clots.

Signs and symptoms of phlebitis

The most typical symptoms of either type of phlebitis are :

• Skin irritation, tenderness, and pain may worsen as you drop your leg if it is on your leg.

• The skin may turn red and you may feel itching.

• If caused by an infection, a low-grade fever may occur.

Phlebitis diagnosis

In order to identify phlebitis, we'll start with a complete physical examination and inquire about any symptoms you may be experiencing. We might also prescribe diagnostic procedures for you, such as blood tests or ultrasounds.

Treatment for phlebitis

If phlebitis is shown to exist, we will create a treatment strategy. If your signs and symptoms are pretty minor, we might advise self-care techniques like :

• Supplying the affected region with heat

• Elevating as much as you can the affected leg

• Compression hose

• Using non-prescription drugs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs)

For more severe cases, we could advise :

• Antibiotics, anti-inflammatory drugs, and blood thinners are examples of medications.

• Compression stockings with a prescription.

• Vein ligation and stripping, which involves surgically tying off and removing the vein through a tiny incision, is used to treat severe phlebitis.