Prognosis and duration of phlebitis
Acute phlebitis is usually self-limiting, which means that it can heal after some time even without therapy. Despite the usually mild course of the disease, some complications are known: Statistically speaking, in one in five patients, the inflammation of the superficial veins spreads to the lower leg veins in the further course of the disease. Especially then the risk of deep vein thrombosis is extremely high.
In these cases, an anticoagulant therapy should be considered early on to prevent the formation of clots in all veins. Rarely does a bacterial infection lead to the formation of an abscess and other associated symptoms in addition to inflammation. The main symptoms here are fever, tiredness and the feeling of being limp.
The duration of a phlebitis is in most cases only a few days. The patient soon experiences improvement. In severe cases or if the inflammation spreads to deeper veins, however, it is also possible for it to spread over several weeks.
Prophylaxis
The best prophylactic measure to prevent phlebitis is frequent walking and running. One should be careful not to stand still in one place for too long.When sitting and at night, it is recommended – especially in the case of pre-existing varicose veins – to put your legs up and not to cross them. A compression bandage or adapted support stockings can also reduce the risk of phlebitis.
If these measures are not possible because, for example, a patient is unable to leave his or her bed, and if there is already a suspicion of inflammation of a large vein (e.g. the large leg vein, the great saphenous vein), prophylactic anticoagulation with injections containing a so-called low-dose heparin is recommended until the patient can leave the bed again or the inflammation has healed. Since pronounced varicose veins are among the risk factors for phlebitis, causal treatment of this problem is also recommended in the advanced stages. Various surgical methods are available for this purpose.
With regard to phlebitis of the arms, caution is the best prophylaxis. Hygienic work and caution in the administration of infusions and injections should be a matter of course. Indwelling venous catheters and other foreign material should remain on the patient only as long as absolutely necessary.
