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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

09-02-2006, 09:17 PM	#7
Annlyn Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Marcus Beach Sunshine Coast Queensland Australia Posts: 19	Portacath tip removed from heart 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 Last edited by Annlyn; 09-02-2006 at 09:19 PM.. Reason: spelling!