Suppurative thrombophlebitis laboratory findings

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]

The majority of patients with suppurative thrombophlebitis have persistent positive blood cultures despite adequate antimicrobial therapy for ≥3 days.

• Patients with suppurative thrombophlebitis (ST) have persistent shedding of bacteria into the bloodstream from an infected thrombus.
• In the majority of patients, blood cultures remain positive for the infecting organism despite adequate antimicrobial therapy for ≥3 days.
• This finding is considered a criterion for the diagnosis of suppurative thrombophlebitis.^[1]