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What to do if…
you notice increasing redness, pain, or swelling around an IV or injection site

Produced and maintained by PanicStation.org Published: Last reviewed: Editorial policy USA guide

Short answer

Call the clinic, infusion center, or prescribing clinician who treated you now and describe the worsening redness, pain, or swelling. Call 911 for breathing problems, chest pain, fainting, collapse, or other severe symptoms.

Do not do these things

  • Do not assume worsening redness, pain, swelling, warmth, drainage, blistering, or red streaking is normal.
  • Do not massage, squeeze, puncture, drain, or pop blisters at the site.
  • Do not apply heat, ice, creams, or ointments unless a clinician tells you to, because the right care can depend on what medicine or fluid was used.
  • Do not flush, inject into, or keep using an IV, PICC, or port that is painful, red, swollen, leaking, or not working normally.
  • Do not wrap the area tightly or wear rings, watches, or tight sleeves on a swelling hand or arm.
  • Do not wait until the next routine appointment if the area is clearly getting worse.

What to do now

  1. If the infusion or injection is still happening, tell staff immediately. Ask them to check the site before anything else goes in.
  2. If you are already home, call the infusion center, clinic, doctor’s office, home health nurse, or after-hours line listed on your discharge papers or patient portal. Say: “My IV or injection site is getting more red, painful, or swollen after treatment. I’m worried about infection, phlebitis, infiltration, or extravasation.”
  3. Get emergency care now if you have fever or chills, pus or drainage, rapidly spreading redness, red streaks, severe or escalating pain, blistering, new numbness or weakness, or skin that looks very tight, pale, blue, or unusually cold.
  4. Call 911 now if you have trouble breathing, chest pain, fainting, collapse, severe dizziness, or another symptom that feels immediately dangerous.
  5. While arranging care, rest and support the limb. Keep the dressing clean and dry, and do not press hard on the area.
  6. Mark the outer edge of the redness with a pen and write the time, if you can do that without delaying care. Take one clear photo to show whether it is spreading.
  7. If you have a PICC, central line, or port, treat new redness, swelling, warmth, pain, discharge, fever, or chills as urgent. Call your provider right away, and use emergency care if you cannot be promptly assessed.
  8. Use urgent care only if the symptoms are mild, localized, and stable, you do not have fever, chills, blistering, numbness, weakness, spreading redness, or a central line concern, and your treating team cannot quickly advise you.

What can wait

  • You do not need to figure out whether this is infection, irritation, phlebitis, infiltration, or extravasation before asking for help.
  • You do not need to choose a treatment yourself.
  • You do not need to decide today whether to complain, report, or change clinics.
  • You do not need to collect lots of photos or keep rechecking every few minutes; one clear update for the clinician is enough.

Important reassurance

Worsening changes around an IV or injection site can feel frightening, especially after you have left the facility. Many causes are treatable, and contacting the treating team promptly is a reasonable first step.

Scope note

These are first steps for the first hours after noticing worsening redness, pain, or swelling around an IV, PICC, port, or injection site. Later decisions may need a clinician who can examine the area and review the medicine or fluid that was used.

Important note

This guide is general information, not medical advice, diagnosis, treatment, or a substitute for professional care. If symptoms are rapidly worsening, you feel significantly unwell, or you are unsure what level of care you need, seek urgent medical attention.

Additional Resources

Closely connected guides that may be useful during the same situation or its immediate aftermath.

About this guide

This guide was produced and is maintained by PanicStation.org using its published editorial process. Official and specialist sources are checked where relevant, and AI-assisted tools may be used for drafting, organisation, and consistency checks. The site operator remains responsible for publication, revision, and removal decisions.

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