[Subcutaneous chamber systems (ports) for long-term care in cancer patients]

Maintenance of satisfactory and safe venous access in cancer patients is part of a comprehensive care of cancer patients. As the Hickman/Broviac catheter is today used an implantable port. This port is placed in a subcutaneous pocket. The catheter connected to the port leads into the central vein, usually through the subclavian vein. An application of drugs in the port is done trough the skin. In this time could be used different types of ports, one or two chambers port, low profil port, peripheral port and others. In this paper we reported our two-years experience with 33 totally implantable access systems, which has been implanted in patients with cancer in Masaryk University Hospital Brno Bohunice. In our department was most frequently used port the nonmetallic port IMPLANTOFIX (BRAUN MELSUNGEN). All ports were in place for a total of 5,582 days, in average of 169 days. A frequency of complications were 2.15 on 1,000 days. Four ports were in place for longer than 1 year. A comparison of the incidence of complications in the present study with an analysis of 23 studies reported in literature was satisfactory. Minimal maintenance care, no restriction of life activity, improving quality of life and probably less frequency of infection complications, identify it as a significant advantage for the satisfactory maintenance of venous access of oncology patients in comparison with Hickman/Broviac catheter. Both the patients and the nursing staff showed a very high degree of satisfaction with this system. In cancer patients, especially with poor venous access, and prognosis longer than 6 months can be indicated this system with the advantage for patients.