How Mediport is installed by Surgeon? Does the procedure require local
 or general anesthesia?

Hello Gulu1234,


   "A pediatric surgeon will insert an external tunneled catheter
under general anesthesia. A small incision is made on the right or
left side of the chest or neck to insert the catheter into the vein.
The catheter is then tunneled under the skin to an exit site on the
chest. The surgeon will determine the exact site based on what is best
for your child. At the exit site, there may be small stitches placed
around the catheter securing the tubing to the skin to keep it from
coming out. These stitches can be left in place until they break loose
from the skin, usually by two to four weeks.

A small dressing over the insertion site on the upper chest or neck
may be removed in two days and a dressing over the catheter exit site
will be changed the day after insertion. The nurses will teach you how
to do this and instruct you in the frequency of dressing changes to be
done at home."
http://www.ucsfhealth.org/childrens/edu/venousaccess.pdf

"If you will be receiving chemotherapy, you may have a mediport placed
during the operation. The port will be under your skin. This will
allow easy IV access for chemotherapy and future blood drawing. The
mediport is temporary. It will remain in until a month or more after
your esophagectomy. The mediport will need to be flushed periodically
(once a week while it is in use, once a month when it is not being
used). During your chemotherapy and radiation therapy, this can be
done when your blood is drawn to check your blood cell count."
http://www.umm.edu/thoracic/esoph_staging.html

"Don't panic. This is a simple, same-day procedure that doesn't
require general anesthesia. You will have a chest X-ray to confirm
that the port is positioned correctly. When chemotherapy is over, the
port can be removed quickly in another same-day procedure."
http://www.breastcancer.org/tre_sys_chemo_ports.html

"The port is usually placed as an outpatient procedure either at
Melbourne Same Day Surgery Center or at the hospital. General
anesthesia or a local anesthetic with supplemental intravenous
sedation is required. The procedure takes approximately one hour and
the port can be used immediately after placement. Dr. Fusco's usual
approach involves cannulation of the subclavian vein (vein under the
collar bone) using a percutaneous technique. The pocket is placed just
below the collar bone, After the procedure, patients will have an
incision approximately two inches long and a small protrusion of the
skin at the reservoir site."
http://www.markfuscomd.com/port.htm

"Mediport surgery mid-February - Surgeon used lidocaine (as a local)
to numb area...4 shots in fact. Unfortunately all the lidocaine did
was collapse myleft lung! Seems I'm also allergic to lidocaine!
Finally got mediport inserted two weeks later (under general
anesthesia). BEST SURGERY I EVER HAD - I would recommend a mediport to
anyone who is having problems with veins collapsing during chemo."
http://www.cancer-survivor.org/stories/kathy1.shtml

"If an implanted pump is used, it might need to be put in place while
you are under general anesthesia."
http://www.patientcenters.com/colon/news/experiencing_chemo.html

As you can see, whether the port will be inserted under local
anesthesia or general anesthesia depends on the patient's age,
condition, and surgeon. As with many things medical, it depends!

Good luck! Please request an Answer Clarification, if this is not the
answer you seek. I will be happy to assist you further, before you
rate.

Sincerely, Crabcakes


Search Terms
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Mediport implant
port-a-cath + mediport surgery

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Clarification of Answer by crabcakes-ga on 18 Nov 2005 09:06 PST

Hello again Gulu1234,


    Thank you for the nice tip. I'm sorry you have chosen to close
this question by giving me a poor rating, before requesting an Answer
Clarification, as requested.

    With all due respect, you did not state in your answer that  you
wanted  "explanation of what types of Mediport options are available
for patient receiving chemotherapy? Do patients with Mediport get
infection? If yes, then what percentage?" If you had, I would not have
chosen to select your question, due to the price you offered. A $2
question is one:

· Can be answered with a single link or a single piece of information.
Sometimes, if a researcher is personally interested in the question's
subject, they may provide a longer answer.

· Not appropriate for multipart questions.

· Only 60% of the questions asked in this price range are answered.

In the future, you may wish to review the pricing guidelines before
asking a question.
http://answers.google.com/answers/pricing.html

I wish you the best.
Regards, Crabcakes

The answer is acceptable but lack explanation of what types of
Mediport options are available for patient receiving chemotherapy? Do
patients with Mediport get infection? If yes, then what percentage?