Forgot your password?

Please enter your username or email address. Instructions for resetting the password will be immediately emailed to you.
Reset Password

Return to login form 

Please note: While some information will still be current in a year, other information may already be out of date in three months time. If you are in any doubt, please feel free to ask.

Circulatory breakdown after rinsing of port-a-cath

Question
Hello!
As my veins are not good and I have many events of blood taking, I got a porth-a-cath. Half an hour later, I get extreme seizures. I have to stretch me and to yawn all the time. I get a headache and I am cold from the inside of me. Also I am bit confused then. However only a bit. Why does it happen? I have a diabetes type 2 and I am in treatment for hepatitis C. Many thanks for your help.
Best regards
Answer
Hello,
if this happens all the time after rinsing the port-a-cath, one has to check, if with rinsing, germs get into the blood circulation, that can cause similar symptoms. This can happen, if germs are in the reservoir of the port-a-cath, which reach the blood circulation via rinsing the port-a-cath after blood has been taken.
The other possiblitiy is, that you react to that, which is used for rinsing. Often it is only natrium chloride solution, probably with heparin. Have you reported that to the doctor, who does the blood taking? Ask him, what is used for rinsing and if one could test, via blood taking from the port and doing a blood culture, if germs play a role.
Best regards,
Prof. Joachim Bargon
26.05.2017