[A fully implantable port system for venous access. Personal experience with 91 patients]

A fully implantable venous port system with a cannula inserted into the central venous system was implanted to 91 patients. The system was used for the administration of different types of intravenous preparations, incl. transfusions of erythrocyte mass and parenteral nutrition. With in the framework of autologous transplantation via the port system haematopoietic progenitor cells from the peripheral blood stream were administered. Part of the introduced systems was used for monitoring of the central venous overpressure and for collecting blood samples. The system was introduced on an average for 289 days, with a median of 245 days, range 82-872 days. During the implantation seven complications developed, in three instances the port was removed prematurely. During treatment 16 complications were observed, which in six instances led to early explantation of the venous port. The number of complications in total amounted to 0.87 per 1000 treatment days. The system was well tolerated by the patients because of its functional effectiveness and minimal cosmetic changes, and because it is not demanding it was also accepted well by the nursing staff.