Huntsman Follow-up- Port Placement

We will be at Huntsman all day Friday. We will see 3 physicians: a radiation onocologist, oncologist, and the surgeon. He will have his port put in on Friday also at the University of Utah Hospital. They will let us know Thursday afternoon what time the procedure will be on Friday. We are supposed to arrive for our doctor appointments at 9:30am. Here is some info about how the port works for chemotherapy treatments:

Purpose

Chemotherapy is a common treatment for patients with cancer. It is designed to selectively terminate cells that are very rapidly dividing. Because cancer cells divide more quickly than normal cells, they will be more affected by the chemotherapy.

Most chemotherapeutic agents cannot be taken orally because they are either poorly absorbed by the digestive tract, or because the body inactivates them after they are ingested. As a result, many types of chemotherapy drugs are given intravenously. The most effective way of administering these drugs is by injecting them in the superior vena cava vein directly above the heart so the drug is pumped throughout the body quickly and efficiently. Because chemotherapy often is given multiple times per week and it can be difficult to inject these medications into large veins, a port may be installed to make the injections easier.

Port Installation

In general, the installation of a port for chemo is considered to be a fairly minor surgical procedure and can be done as an outpatient procedure with local anesthesia and "conscious" sedation (i.e. the patient is never rendered unconscious). The procedure begins with disinfection and numbing of the area where the port will be placed (typically the upper chest). Then a large needle is inserted into the chest. This needle is then used as a conduit to allow a catheter (which is a small tube) to be threaded into the superior vena cava. This catheter is attached to the port, which will then remain outside of the body. The needle is then removed and the port is in place.

Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/33213-port-chemo-inserted/#ixzz1AlPolwLC