What is a Portacath?

A Portacath (port) is an implanted device that gives long term access to your veins. This allows you to have intravenous medication and blood tests taken, without the need for repeated injections into your veins.
These devices are often used for cancer patients. Once implanted, they give an easily accessible site for different treatment activities including chemotherapy, blood tests, contrast CT scans and more.

 

Understanding your procedure

Before your procedure:

You may need a blood test in the days prior to assess your kidney function and how your blood clots.
On the day:

  • You may be asked to fast prior to your procedure.
  • You may be asked to either take or avoid certain medications. 
  • Please let us know if you:
    - Are pregnant.
    - Have any allergies.
    - Suffer from any ongoing illnesses including diabetes.
    - Are taking any medication including blood thinners such as Warfarin.

When you arrive:

  • Check in with reception.
  • You will be taken to your procedure room and our radiologist will explain your procedure and ask for your consent.
  • You will be asked to change into a gown.

 

During your procedure:

  • You will be asked to lie on your back on the examination table.
  • You may be offered a sedative to make the procedure more comfortable for you, although you will remain awake. 
  • We will monitor your vital signs using special devices attached to your body and administer a local anaesthesia at the insertion site in your chest and in your neck.
  • Portacaths are usually inserted within the chest wall. 
  • The radiologist will make a small incision in the chest to create a pocket under the skin for the port. 
  • The radiologist uses image guidance – usually an ultrasound scan – to gain access to the veins in your neck. 
  • We feed the catheter through the neck vein until it reaches the chest. 
  • The catheter is connected to the port and its accurate placement is checked using image-guidance, usually a fluoroscopy scan using x-ray images.

 

After your procedure:

  • We will monitor your progress for several hours while you rest and recover from your procedure. 
  • You may experience some pain and swelling which can be controlled using regular painkillers. 
  • Please avoid any strenuous movement for up to two weeks, depending on how your recovery is progressing.
  • Your Portacath can remain in place for several years. In these cases, we use saline to wash out the port and make sure it doesn’t become blocked. 
  • Removal is a simple procedure done under local anaesthetic.

Frequently asked questions

  • A Portacath sits under the skin so it can remain for months or even years without needing to be replaced. 
  • It is a better, more lifestyle-friendly, long-term solution than IV lines or other short-term solutions like PICC lines, both of which can often block and need frequent replacement.
  • A Portacath can be placed by an Interventional Radiologist in just 30 minutes.
  • With mild sedation, it is a relatively painless and well tolerated procedure that only requires a one to two hour stay in the clinic.

As with any medical procedure, there are some risks. These are usually rare and include:

  • Infection or bleeding at the site.
  • Allergies to medication administered during the procedure.

If you are concerned about any serious side effects, please contact your doctor as soon as possible.
These include:

  • Chest pain.
  • Excessive swelling, pain, redness.
  • Shortness of breath / dizziness.

Yes, you're welcome to bring up to two support people with you to your appointment. If you require more than two, please contact us so we can work with you to find a solution that meets your needs. 

Support people usually cannot enter the procedure room. 

Please note: for some examinations, a support person may not be able to enter the scan room for safety, privacy or clinical reasons. Our team will talk you through this if it applies to your appointment.

If you need to bring children, please make sure another responsible adult comes with you to supervise them throughout your appointment. Our team need to focus on your care and cannot supervise children.  

If arranging childcare is difficult, please contact us before your appointment. We will do our best to find an option that works for you, so childcare does not prevent you from receiving care. 

Still have questions?

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