Broken line on port

Annlyn · 07-23-2006, 05:28 AM

Has anyone had any experience of the line on a port actually breaking? A piece of the tubing on mine has broken off and is now lodged against the sinus node in the right atrium. I am seeing a cardiac surgeon in 2 days re removal.

Sheila · 07-23-2006, 06:13 AM

Annalyn

This happened to my grandaughter when they went to remove her port.(She is 9 years old)
Anyway, after meeting with the cardiac surgeons, they decided to leave the tip in, which was also lodged in the atrium. They said the risk for her was greater to remove it via open heart surgery. They had tried to remove it via cardiac cath and were unsuccessful. That was 6 months ago and she has not had any problems. They did say to monitor her for an irregular heart rhythm, and if that occurs, they would have to do open heart surgery to remove it.
Hope this helps.

Annlyn · 07-23-2006, 06:59 AM

Dear Sheila
Thank you for the swift response. I'm glad I stayed up - its 11.49pm here and well past my bedtime. Your GD's situation does sound very similiar to mine. Has she had more scans? Does the tube move around? Is the cardiac cath the thing they put in via the thigh? They have also told me to get in touch immediately if I experience an irregular heart rhythm. My understanding is that as long as the tube stays in the right atrium they will try to hook it out but if it migrates to the left it would mean open heart surgery.
Glad to hear your grandaughter is doing fine.

Annlyn

Sheila · 07-23-2006, 11:56 AM

Annlyn
Sorry I mispelled your name before. They have done 1 scan and it is still lodged...here is the tip or the port cath that broke off, and after being in for 9 yearsm tissue has grown over it. The cardiac cath was when they went through her groin area, and tried to snare it , but were unable to do it without causing a tear, thus uncontrolled bleeding. She has had no troubles so far and goes in tomorrow for round 3 of back surgery to adjust her rod and lengthen it....it may never give you a problem again...don't be surprised if they just leave it...sometimes it is the safe way to go, and then just be cautious if you develop an irregular rythym as then they may need to do something.
Hoping they can leave it alone for you and it stays right where it is...they usually are grown in with a sheath of skin over them and rarely will ever move.
Hope I've helped....by the way, I had never heard of this until it happened to my grandaughter.

Annlyn · 07-24-2006, 08:25 PM

Thanks Sheila, Didn't notice the incorrect spelling _ guess I read for meaning!

lindaw · 07-25-2006, 02:19 AM

Dear Annlyn

Yes this happened to me when I was getting a new port put in. I woke up to find it had gone into my heart. Had that thing up through the groin and they retrieved it.

love
lindaw

Annlyn · 09-02-2006, 09:17 PM

Hi all
Sorry for the delay in replying and in finishing my story.

I had the portacath tip (10cm) removed from my heart about a week after my last post. In the end, all the big wigs at the cardiac hospital were fighting over me as apparently they only see about one a year. Great for me! In the end the Dr who puts all the pacemakers in did the procedure with the Head of Radiology assisting. Unfortunately, when they were scanning the left view, the machine was between me and the screen so I only saw about a third of the procedure.

Using angiography they put a guiding catheter up through my right femoral vein in my groin. They then put a goose neck snare (a lasso) through the guide and attempted to lasso the tip from were it was lodged in the posterlateral branch of the coronary sinus. It was incredible watching the screen while they tried to lasso it. Every time my heart beat the tip would move like a little worm dancing! As this didn't work they removed the lasso and put vascular retrival forceps up the guide. This time they managed to dislodge it from the node and it moved back into the right artuim. They removed the forceps and put the lasso up the guide again and got it. They then had to pull the guide and the lasso out together as the the captured tip was to large to be pulled through the guide. Amazing how the vein stretched to enable this to happen. Precedure took about 3/4 of an hour with 2 hours in recovery keeping the right leg very still and me refusing to drink much as I was not going to use a bedpan!! Home straight after.

I had noticed a slight headache prior to the procedure (I hadn't had anything to eat or drink for about 14 hours) but my head started pounding the minute the guide went in- I guess an increase in blood pressure. Anyway the pounding subsided once the guide came out again. Also had many palpitations while they were tickling the node but most of these disappeared immediately the guide was removed. The rest disappeared over the next few days.
As this was the second port I had had break (they had been put in in 2 different hospitals but both seem to have broken in the clavicle/first rib area) I didn't trust the standard local hospital insert procedures and got a referral to a vascular surgeon at the cardiac hospital. New port was put in 10 days ago and is flowing beautifully. Took my backpack with me and the doctor checked that his placement of the new port would not interfere with my bushwalking!!

Apparently there are lots of people with bits of tubing in their hearts especially if they have had a pacemaker replaced. If it is embedded and not in any of the valves it seems that it can be left there. The dangers are apparently if it is still on the move!!

Thanks for your comments they helped me stay calm.

Annlyn

tousled1 · 09-03-2006, 04:25 AM

Annlyn,

Glad everything went well with the removal and that you were able to get a new port put in. I don't know what I'd do without my port (haha). Seriously, I'm so glad that I have a port - I see some women and men at chemo and the nurses trying to access their veins and having a really hard time.

Cathya · 09-03-2006, 08:57 AM

Annlyn,

I agree with Kate....I don't know what I'd do without my port either. It almost makes me sick to watch the nurses access other patients veins now with needles. Mine are totally shot in my right arm so my port makes it so comfortable and stress free. However, what you went through is shocking to me and I have never heard of it before....along with the others posting!! I lie on that side in bed and can feel the port.....do you think we should be careful with our port side....that is....is activity a cause of the breakages do you think? You were so brave going through this I must say.

Cathy

Lolly · 09-05-2006, 09:46 AM

Hi Annlyn; this is a bit late but I didn't see your post earlier. I also had my catheter tip break off and lodge in my heart. It was removed successfully with angiograph procedure. My next port started exhibiting "pinch-off" syndrome(trouble getting a blood return and infusing depending on my position in the chair) and after 6 months that one was also removed before it had a chance to break off, and my surgeon bypassed the clavicle/rib juncture and inserted the catheter in a shoulder vein. It's been fine. Another option if your new one starts acting up.