title: Extravasation injuries: current medical and surgical treatment.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Extravasation is a devastating complication of intravenous therapy that develops when a drug infiltrates the interstitial tissue surrounding the vein. Due to the uncertain and possibly dramatic outcome, early recognition and adequate treatment with the aid of a standardized protocol are needed.
  
  
  METHODS
  A pubmed literature search was conducted and all relevant articles were reviewed for the development of an extravasation treatment protocol.
  
  
  RESULTS
  An overview of current treatment guidelines and clinical experience is provided. The extravasation treatment protocol was implied during 1 year in this university hospital with satisfactory outcome.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Treatment starts with prevention. In case of an established extravasation injury, early recognition, assessment of severity, and treatment with medical and/or surgical therapies are recommended.
authors.affiliation: Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, University Hospital Ghent, Belgium. Maarten.Doornaert@Ugent.be
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Doornaert
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Monstrey
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Roche
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002317:Cardiovascular Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002985:Clinical Protocols; D054697:Cytostatic Agents / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005119:Extravasation of Diagnostic and Therapeutic Materials / Q000601:surgery / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D009336:Necrosis; D011929:Razoxane / Q000627:therapeutic use; D012867:Skin / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D002317:Cardiovascular Agents; D054697:Cytostatic Agents; D011929:Razoxane