Venous Access Devises

These are silicone-metallic instruments that are placed in the body to facilitate the easy administration of chemotherapy. Some are totally enclosed and are underneath the skin; others extrude through the skin. The subcutaneous devises are placed in the chest wall and a short operation is needed to have them placed. The catheters that extrude through the skin can be placed in the chest or in the arm. These are inconvenient in that they are always hanging outside the skin and need a lot of care and attention.

I prefer the subcutaneous kind and commonly use the Porta-Cath for my patient population. These are placed by surgeons. They can become infected so great care must be taken of them both by the patient and the nurses. These devises can also give rise to clots, which can cause pain and debilitation. While they do carry risks, these devises do improve the quality of life for patients receiving treatments for cancer. Because care givers have an easy access to the blood stream, patients can be more frequently treated as outpatients and can avoid frequent hospitalizations. Antibiotics, fluids, intravenous feedings and pain medication can be given through these devises and as patients become more sophisticated, they can help to manage their own diseases.

If you are receiving treatments for cancer, ask your doctor about these devises; they might make you life easier.

BackToTop