Candidal suppurative peripheral thrombophlebitis.

Transient candidemia is common with prolonged intravenous therapy. Sustained candidemia, however, usually indicates a persistent focus of infection. A complication of intravenous therapy not previously emphasized is persistent candidemia caused by candidal suppurative peripheral thrombophlebitis. We report six cases that appeared during intravenous therapy: the infection was characterized by a thrombosed peripheral vein at an intravenous site with manifestations for candida septicemia with or without disseminated candidiasis. In two patients, the source of the process was occult; the examination showed only a thrombosed noninflamed vein. In all cases, surgical exploration showed the thrombosed veins to be suppurative with positive cultures for Candida. Special stains, moreover, showed Candida in the luminal clot and the vascular wall. In the five surviving patients, cure was achieved by excision of the affected vein. Four received a short course of amphotericin B and 5-fluorocytosine, and one patient received amphotericin B only.