Chest Port
A chest port, also called a port-a-cath, is a small device that helps makes delivering medications and drawing blood much easier. It’s implanted under your skin in your upper chest, near your collarbone.
The device itself is about the size of a quarter, and is made out of titanium and plastic. This is implanted completely under your skin. A thin, flexible tube called a catheter is attached to the port and goes into a large vein near your heart.
When you need medication or blood tests, a nurse will access the port with a needle before delivering medicine or drawing blood through the catheter. This is quicker and easier than starting an IV in your arm, and has other benefits as well.
How is the chest port placed?
After checking in on the day of the procedure, you will have your vitals monitored and an IV will be started. Our staff will bring you to the procedure room, clean your skin and place sterile drapes over you. Your nurse will give you sedation medication through the IV. You may or may not fall asleep but you will be comfortable.
The doctor or PA will start by injecting a local anesthetic in the skin by your neck and chest. Once you are numb, a thin hollow tube called a sheath is placed into a major vein near your collarbone. The port reservoir is inserted under the skin on the chest after a small incision is made. The catheter connected to the port reservoir is fed underneath your skin and placed into the vein using the sheath. Once the sheath is removed, the port is now completely in place. After testing the port to make sure it is working, the incision is closed using absorbable stitches and a bandage is placed at the site.
You may have mild soreness at the site that lasts for a few days. A transparent bandage placed over the incision can be removed after 48 hours. Showering is fine but submerging the site with a bath or swimming should be avoided for a full week until there has been adequate healing.