When should I call my healthcare team?

When should I call my healthcare team?

Contact your healthcare team immediately if any of the following occur:

• The area around the catheter or port becomes red, swollen, painful, bruised, or hot.
• The arm on the same side as the catheter swells.
• There is a lot of bleeding around the catheter or port.
• I have a fever.
• There are fluids leaking through the catheter.
• You have trouble breathing or dizziness.
• The catheter tube outside the body lengthens.
• You cannot flush the catheter or port with fluid and it seems blocked. Never force liquid into the catheter.
• You have symptoms or problems that your oncology care team advised you to report right away.

How are catheters and ports removed?

Your doctor or a nurse will remove the catheter or port when you no longer need it.

If you have a PICC line, your doctor or nurse will gently tug on the tube until you feel it come loose, and then remove it. This is usually painless and anesthesia is not usually needed.

If you have a port, or a catheter in your neck or chest, your doctor or a radiologist will make a small cut in your skin. Then they will gently remove the port or catheter. You may need local anesthesia or conscious sedation.

Questions to ask your healthcare team

• Why do you recommend that I have a catheter or port placed?
• What type of catheter or port do I need?
• What are the risks of this type of catheter or port? What issues should I report right away?
• Who do I call if I have problems with the catheter or port? And outside of business hours?
• How much of the cost of placing this catheter or port will my health insurance cover?
• Will I feel pain or discomfort when the catheter or port is placed?
• How long does it take to place a catheter or port?
• How long will I have the catheter or port?
• How do I care for the catheter or port? How often?
• Will I be able to see or feel the catheter or port?
• How will a catheter or port affect my daily life? Will I be able to wear my usual clothes, bathe, swim and exercise?
• Are catheters or ports a problem if I have radiation therapy or imaging scans?This information describes implanted ports, their placement, and how to care for your port. An implanted port is often called a mediport or port-a-cath. A port protects the veins during cancer treatment.
  

  What is an implanted port?

  An implanted port is a type of central venous catheter (CVC). A CVC is a flexible tube that is placed in one of your veins.

  You may need to receive medicine into a vein larger than the ones in your arms. Your port allows medicine to enter your bloodstream through a vein. It can be used to give you medicine for several days in a row.

  A port protects the veins from damage caused by repeated access. A port makes it easy for your care team to:

  • Take blood samples.
  • Give you medicine intravenously (IV). This is medicine that is put into one of your veins. Some IV medications, such as anesthesia and some types of chemotherapy (chemo), must go through a large vein.
  • Give you IV fluids.
  • Give you blood products intravenously, such as platelets and plasma.
  • Administer intravenous contrast. This is a special dye that helps your health care provider see your organs better.

  Your health care provider will tell you if having a port is right for you and your treatment.

  A surgeon or interventional radiologist (also called an IR doctor) will place your port. An interventional radiologist is a doctor who specializes in image-guided procedures. Usually, she will place the port on your chest. A port can sometimes be placed in the upper arm instead. Your healthcare provider will discuss with you where the port will be placed.

  Ports placed on the chest are usually about 1 inch (2.5 centimeters) below the center of the right clavicle (see Figure 1). This allows more direct access to the vein. If you wear a bra, your port will be about 1 inch from where the bra strap is.

  Health-Fitness.masr356.com can be the perfect place to read about health and fitness blogs.

  Figure 1. Front view of the port (left) and side view of the port (right)

  Your port may raise the skin about ½ inch (1.2 centimeters). You may be able to feel it through your skin. Most people won’t realize they’ve had a port put in.

  Your port can stay in place for years. Your healthcare provider will remove your port when you no longer need it. They will also remove it if it becomes infected. You can have another port put in later if you need one.

  Parts of the implanted port

  The parts of the implanted port are the port, the membrane, and the catheter (see Figure 2).

  port and membrane

  The port is the starting point for the flow of fluid through the catheter. The port is located under the skin and has a raised center called a membrane. This is the part of the port where the needles will be placed. Also called a hotspot.

  The membrane is made of a rubber material that closes automatically. Nothing can go into the port without a needle in it. The membrane closes once the needle is withdrawn