Your child has had a port insertion. The information on this page explains how to look after your child at home after the procedure, and when to call for help.
Discharge from the hospital
How much time your child stays in the hospital depends on the reason for the port insertion and on how your child is feeling after the procedure. Some children who have a port go home two hours after the procedure. Others remain in the hospital to receive additional treatment.
Pain relief after the procedure
After the procedure, some children may feel mild pain or discomfort in the neck or chest area for the first day or two. If this happens, ask your nurse or doctor if your child can have something to relieve the pain.
Children often feel like they have a stiff neck after a port insertion. It is good and safe for your child to move their neck as usual.
Once your child has fully healed, they should not have any pain or discomfort from the port.
How the port is used
When your child needs medication, a needle is inserted through the skin into the port. This is called accessing the port. A numbing cream can be used to help numb the skin over the port where the needle is inserted. Many children feel that this cream helps to reduce the pain of the needle.
The nurse will clean your child’s skin and poke the needle through the skin and into the port. The needle will be covered by a clear bandage to keep it clean and to keep the needle in place. The nurse can then give the medications through the needle and into the port.
When your child has finished the medication, the port will be flushed with a medicine called heparin. Heparin helps to prevent the port from becoming blocked so that it will work well every time you come to the hospital. If a port is not being used, it needs to be heparinized every four to six weeks.
The port cannot fall out
The port cannot fall out or be pulled out. However, if the port is accessed with a needle, the needle can be pulled out accidently. If the needle is pulled part-way or all the way out, it may cause the port to become blocked. This could also cause some skin irritation if medicines leak from the port into the skin around it. To prevent this from happening, it is very important to make sure that the port needle is covered with a bandage and that the needle tubing is taped to your child’s body.
Caring for your child at home with a port
When your child has healed from the initial insertion, there will be no special care for your child’s port at home. If there is no needle in place, there is no need to cover the port site with a clear bandage. If your child does not need medicine through the port for a long time, the port will need to be accessed with the needle and flushed with new heparin every four to six weeks. This prevents the port from becoming blocked. This can sometimes be done at home, or it can be done at the hospital in clinic. This will be arranged by your doctor or nurse.
Dressing care
You will notice two areas on your child that are covered with surgical glue. There will be one small spot on the neck and one larger area over the chest. The glue is sterile and helps to keep the sites as clean as possible. The glue will come off on its own within two weeks.
Occasionally, a clear bandage or a small gauze may be placed on the port sites (neck and chest) by the interventional radiologist during the port insertion. Keep the bandages on for 48 hours.
Once the incisions have healed and the glue has come off, there is no need to place any type of dressing or covering on the port. This is because it is kept safe under skin.
When the port is accessed, a clear bandage will be placed over the port needle. This bandage keeps the port needle clean and secure. If the port is not accessed, no bandage is needed. There should be no bright red bleeding at the port site. If there is, contact the IGT Vascular Access Service resource nurse.
Bathing
Your child may shower 48 hours after the port has been inserted. Your child may also have a sponge bath or have the port site cleaned with fresh, clean water 48 hours after the port has been inserted. It is not recommended to submerge the port site under water for two full weeks after the port has been inserted.
Meals
If your child is feeling well enough after the anaesthetic, they can return to eating what they normally eat. It is also important to encourage your child to drink plenty of fluids for 48 hours after the procedure.
Pain relief
If needed, give your child acetaminophen for pain. Do not give your child any medicines that will thin the blood, such as acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) or ibuprofen, without checking with a nurse or your child's doctor first.
Activity
After the port insertion, your child will need to stay home from school or day care, and avoid physical activity for the first 24 hours. Your child may return to school 24 hours after the port insertion with restricted activity. Your child should avoid all major activities or physical exertion for two full weeks. These include:
- contact sports
- gymnastics
- diving/swimming
- bicycle riding
- rollerblading
- hockey
- soccer
- skiing
- horseback riding
After two weeks, when the incisions have healed, your child can swim or do other water activities if the port is not being accessed and there is no needle in place.
When to see a doctor
Call your child’s home-care nurse, the IGT Vascular Access Service at the hospital, your child’s doctor or clinic nurse, or go to the nearest Emergency Department right away if your child has any of the following:
- A fever or chills
- Bleeding, redness or swelling around the port or neck
- Leakage or drainage at the port site
- A port that is hard to flush or will not flush at all
- Pain when the port is being used
- Difficulty breathing
- A funny feeling in their heart
- An open wound at the port site
Each child’s situation is different, so you should also ask your doctor if there are any specific instructions for your child.
At SickKids
At SickKids, the interventional radiologists work in the Department of Diagnostic Imaging – Division of Image Guided Therapy (IGT). You can call and speak to the IGT Vascular Access Service resource nurse at (416) 813-6986 during working hours or leave a message with the IGT Vascular Access Team. If you have concerns and it is after working hours, please call the Hospital for Sick Children switchboard at 416-813-7500 and ask them to page your child’s doctor on call or go to the nearest Emergency Department.