Expert: Dawn Caceres - 3/9/2008

Question
Hey I am a 23 yr old with good ole crohns disease. I am potentially having a portacath put in because my veins are so pathetic, and pretty much have scarred up. It takes atleast 5 needle sticks each time I get blood drawn or an iv, which is often these days. I am wondering how the port is inserted, and what kind of anesthesia you are given. Basically I would love to hear what the process is for inserting one of these, and what types there are. Is there anything specific (in terms of port types) for CT scans, Remicade, Fluids, and Blood draws? Thanks for all the help!


Answer
Dear Janie,

Please check out this website I found for you that has tons of answers to the questions you are asking...I think this website has answers to questions about the port a cath that you didn't even think of asking!


http://www.radiologyinfo.org/en/info.cfm?pg=vasc_access&bhcp=1

Please also feel free to contact me again if you have any further questions or concerns.

I hope this cath helps and you start to feel much better soon.

Dawn Caceres