Chemo Port Placement
Throughout your cancer treatment, your healthcare team will need to regularly provide treatment directly into a vein. It is how they will deliver chemotherapy drugs, blood transfusions, antibiotics, and intravenous fluids. Your team will probably also need to periodically take blood samples from you.
To make all these treatments and testing easier on you, your doctor may suggest you get a medical device called a port.
The interventional radiologists at Florida Endovascular and Interventional have the expertise needed to ensure your chemo port placement is done right the first time, so it can be safely and comfortably relied upon for the duration of your cancer treatment regimen.
What Is a Chemo Port?
The port is a plastic, coin-sized disc that is placed just under the skin. The disc has a “tail”: a small flexible tube (catheter) that is guided into a large vein leading to your heart. A type of central venous catheter, the port allows your healthcare team easy access to your bloodstream, eliminating the need for endless needle sticks over the weeks, months, or even years of treatment.
Where Is the Port Placed?
Most often, the port is placed just under the skin on the right side of your chest, above your breast and below your collarbone. You will be able to feel a round bump in the spot where the port is.
How Will the Port Be Used?
When you go in for treatment, a healthcare provider will insert a special needle directly into the center of the implanted port. The initial needle prick may sting a little – as is the case with any needle entry into the body – but that sensation should go away quickly. You should experience no pain or discomfort at the port during an infusion or other treatment.
How Is Chemo Port Placement Performed?
A chemo port placement, like other interventional oncology procedures we perform, is conducted in a surgery suite at a Florida Endovascular and Interventional office. You will receive IV sedation, and a local anesthetic in the area where the port will be implanted.
The doctor will make two small incisions, one in the chest area where the port will be implanted, and the other at the base of your neck. The port is placed in the chest area, and the attached catheter is threaded under your skin to the vein at the base of your neck.
We will use a port needle to access the port to ensure everything is working properly – as well as take an X-ray to make sure the port and catheter are in the proper locations. The incisions are dressed, and you will be released home, after a short monitoring period. Be sure to follow the doctor’s instructions regarding your port-placement aftercare.
Port Cleaning & Maintenance
The port will be flushed after each use. When not in use, it may need to be flushed at least once a month by a medical professional. Contact your doctor right away if you notice any signs of infection at the port site, such as pain, swelling, redness, or fluid at the site.
Same-Day Chemo Port Placement in South Florida
Should you require ongoing cancer treatment, you may be advised to get a chemo port. This simple, in-office procedure is something the interventional radiologists at Florida Endovascular and Interventional are especially skilled at. With us, you get a properly placed port, without having to stay overnight in a hospital.
Ask us about our same-day chemo port placement by calling Florida Endovascular and Interventional at (786) 534-2555 or requesting an appointment now. We have three convenient locations in South Florida to better serve you: in Miami Lakes, Plantation, and Aventura.
