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What is “une chambre“?

Question
Dear Sir or Madam!

My five-year-old son is anticipating an operation in France. He will be implanted “une chambre” under his skin in the chest-shoulder area. This will facilitate the administration of antibiotics IV (intravenously) without having to look for a vein for a long time. Question: What do you call this in German and how is such an operation performed? What is done?

Thank you for your effort.
Best regards
MK
Answer
Hello,

Most probably this refers to the port systems that are used in Germany as well. A port system is a hollow chamber which is placed under the skin and has a thin catheter attached to it which is generally planted into an upper cava (vena cava). Thereby, indeed one has to “only” penetrate the skin of the hollow chamber system’s upper membrane in order to administer antibiotics or other i.v. (intravenous) drugs. In addition, the special needles can be left in the system for some time so that one does not always have to keep pricking during an i.v. therapy. On the other hand, when not in use, the system does have to be drained every few weeks. If such a system is supposed to be used already on a five-year-old child, the indication has to be strong enough. In principle, if used correctly, such a system is a good thing, but on the other hand it does constitute a foreign body, which bears an increased risk of infection.

Kind regards
Olaf Sommerburg
23.02.2010