A totally implanted injection port system for blood sampling and chemotherapy administration
J. W. Gyves, W. D. Ensminger, J. E. Niederhuber, T. Dent, S. Walker, S. Gilbertson, E. Cozzi and P. Saran
We evaluated a totally implanted system consisting of a subcutaneous
injection port connected to a silicone elastomer central venous catheter
for vascular access, including blood drawing, in 35 patients with cancer.
All patients lacked peripheral venous access sites and were undergoing
aggressive chemotherapy programs. The cumulative duration of successful
access exceeded 2,900 days (for individual patients: range, five to 203
days; median, 61 days). In no instance were infusions or injections
unsuccessful. Blood-sampling attempts were successful 90% of the time. The
system did not require flushing between uses, being filled with heparinized
saline after each entry. There were no instances of irreversible catheter
occlusion or shear and no system-related infections. Thus, this device
appears to have advantages over other central venous catheters in terms of
patient acceptance and lack of maintenance between uses.
