Diagnosis of superficial phlebitis
The phlebitis superficial corresponds to the formation of a clot in a vein of the superficial venous network. The condition is rarely serious and, with proper care, usually resolves quickly.
It often starts with discomfort or calf pain. A long, thin red area that can be hot and painful appears along a vein. These symptoms are often worsened when the leg is lowered, especially when getting out of bed in the morning. The diagnosis is often made after a simple physical examination. But, as a precaution, the doctor often orders a blood test (the blood test for D-Dimers).
D-dimers result from the breakdown of fibrin, the main constituent of blood clots. A low level of D-dimer confirms the absence of a blood clot.
What treatment for superficial phlebitis?
Superficial phlebitis is rarely serious and usually resolves with local treatment of the inflammation: warm compresses, taking anti-inflammatory drugs and wearing compression stockings during the day (never at night). These are prescribed by the doctor and must be carefully chosen with the advice of the pharmacist because the pressure should not be the same at the knee as at the ankle.
Diagnosis of deep phlebitis
Deep vein phlebitis, also called deep vein thrombophlebitis (DVT), affects the veins deeper in the arms and legs. A local sensation of heat, tenderness on palpation of the calf, swelling of the leg or arm, and sometimes fever may indicate deep phlebitis.
In addition to the blood dosage of D-dimers (see above), the doctor will send you to an angiologist for perform an echo-doppler. This painless examination is used to assess the blood flow in the vein and to check for the possible presence of a clot.
What treatment for deep phlebitis?
If the diagnosis of deep phlebitis is confirmed, it is a serious condition that often requires hospital admission for a follow-up. anticoagulant treatment rapid-acting administered intravenously.
Without treatment, the clot could indeed “embolize” that is to say detach and spread in the lungs and cause pulmonary embolism, a potentially serious situation. This disease is in fact the third cause of vascular death after infarction and stroke. The anticoagulant treatment will then be continued orally for several months.
In the rare cases where anticoagulants are prohibited (when the patient has had a Stroke for example), doctors use surgery (called a thrombectomy or embolectomy) to remove the clot. But it is an operation reserved for cases of extreme urgency, because of the high operational risks.
Read also :
What is the difference between a phlebitis and a paraphlebitis
All you need to know about phlebitis
