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What is a portacath?

 

A portacath is a type of central venous line which is a soft, hollow tube that we place into a large vein and leads into the heart. The line can be used to give you fluids, blood products and medicines, and to take blood samples. It is designed to stay in your body for many months or even years.

In this section

Why are portacaths required?

Portacaths are suitable for people who need regular, long term intravenous treatment including those who need chemotherapy or immunotherapy.

Ports may also be used for withdrawing blood for tests, and power ports (the type Canopy Imaging use) can be used for CT and MRI contrast scans.

A portacath is made up of two parts:

1. The catheter

One end of the catheter (hollow tube) sits at the entrance to the heart and the other end is connected to the port.

2. The port

This is a small metal chamber that is implanted underneath the skin in the chest area. A special needle can be inserted through your skin and into the port so you can have your treatment.

services portacath

At the end of the procedure, you will see two small scars. One of them is about 1 cm long and is at the base of the neck or just under the collar bone. The other scar is a bit lower down on your chest and is about 3 to 4 cm long.

Just underneath this scar you may notice a small bump under your skin, this is the port. Both scars have dissolvable stitches under the skin – these do not need to be removed. 

Where can I get portacath insertion done?

We have multiple locations available for portacath insertion throughout New Zealand;

Please select your location belowon the right to contact us

Prior to your portacath insertion

  • The procedure takes approximately 45 minutes, this may be longer if sedation is required. You may need to remain for monitoring after the procedure for up to 4 hours.
  • A blood test is required.
  • You will need to fast for 4 hours prior to your procedure.
  • Medications should have been discussed with you at the time of your booking, if you have any further questions please contact Canopy Imaging to discuss these.
  • If you have any known allergies to medication/dressings or food please advise at the time of booking.
  • You will need to organise for someone to drive you home and ideally be available to stay with you for the first few hours.

Informed consent

With any procedure there are risks, these will be discussed with you on the day of your procedure and you will be able to ask any questions you may have. Once you have had the opportunity to ask any questions and have them answered, our doctor will ask you to sign a consent form.

After your procedure

Follow-up

This will usually be with your oncology specialist at Canopy Cancer Care. We will ensure you have a follow up appointment or arrange one for you at the time of your booking for your procedure.

Medication

Our team will ensure you understand when to recommence any medication you may have been asked to stop temporarily.