On 10th May 2016, a team of MGIMS doctors successfully placed the first chemoport under local anaesthesia to a patient undergoing chemotherapy at Kasturba hospital.
Pushpa Nagulwar (39) who was operated for cancer in her right breast in 2014 was presented with bilateral lung metastasis and was admitted in the hospital for palliative chemotherapy. The patient had already received 6 cycles of adjunctive chemotherapy and 25 cycles of radiotherapy in 2014. Finding most of her peripheral veins thrombosed, barely visible and highly difficult to access, the team of anesthesiologist and surgeons decided to insert the chemoport subcutaneously on right side of her chest, 2 inches below the collar bone.
“Chemoport insertion chiefly involves access to central vein like Internal jugular or subclavian (done by anesthetist) simultaneously accompanied by subcutaneous burying of chemoport drug infusing chamber (done by general surgeon) and joined to central venous access via a tunneled catheter”, said Dr Vijay Sharma, Assistant Professor, Department of Anesthesiology .
“With today's successful maiden attempt at this procedure, we feel confident that our cancer patients will be tremendously benefitted and least subjected to trauma of repeated and painful IV cannulations and associated thrombophlebitis peripheral venous thrombosis in future. The advantage is that chemoport can be retained for IV access for as long as a year provided aseptic precautions are taken each time while injecting drug through them”, Dr Sharma added.
“As more and more such procedures are taken up we expect that the skill will disseminate amongst all of us and the procedure will form a routine”, said Dr B Mehra, Professor, Dept of Surgery. Dr Amol Bele and Dr Akshay provided additional assistance during the procedure.