Chemotherapy drugs, administered to treat cancer, can cause scarring and collapse of veins, making it hard to start intravenous lines. Ports buried partially or completely under the skin connect to catheters that terminate in large veins, reducing the risk of scarring. Ports, which can last years, are used to administer more than one medication at a time, and can also be used for blood draws. Once placed, they need little care; some must be flushed regularly, and need to be kept clean to decrease the risk of infection.
Tunneled Ports
Tunneled ports are inserted as an outpatient procedure into the chest beneath the subcutaneous tissue, which lies under the skin. The port is then fed into the superior vena cava, a large vein just above the entrance to the right atrium of the heart, according to the Cleveland Clinic Cancer Center. Accessible ports, usually more than one, used to draw blood and administer medications, hang outside the chest. The catheter is kept in place by scar tissue that forms around it. Tunneled venous catheters can stay in place for years. Tunneled lines need to be flushed on a regular basis so they don't clot, and need to be kept scrupulously clean to avoid infection. Commonly used tunneled ports include Broviac, Groshung and Hickman catheters.
Implantable Ports
Some chemotherapy ports are implanted completely under the skin; to access them, a needle pierces the skin. A small lump is visible under the skin. Implantable ports are surgically placed directly into the superior vena cava. The middle section of the catheter is soft so it can be pierced by an L-shaped needle called a Huber needle that lies flat against the skin after the port is accessed. Implantable ports need to be flushed once a month if not being used, the American Cancer Society says. Porta cath, Infusaport and and Medi-port are a few available implantable ports.
Implnatable Intra-arterial Pumps
Chemotherapy can be given directly into the arterial blood supply of a cancerous tumor. The pump is surgically implanted beneath subcutaneous tissue and is accessed with a needle that fills the pump with the required amount of medicine. The pump is removed when treatment is complete
