central line

dear all,
we had transpalnted a central line(made by vygon) to aren for his transfusions as he has an impossible vein access and needed 45 min to 1 hr of time and several pricks to fit in a channel and our baby suffered so much.
how long will the device last ?
when the chelation shd be started ? he is only 18 months old and has been transfused 7 times.
please advise
take care, peace.

hi,
the central line like you said is easier for aren as everytime he is transfused it will save him having lots of needles & doctors poking & proading him.I have heard and seen people who have had them some people have had clots.make sure the doctors or nurses are cleaning sterilizing the line propely.some people have had in for upto 5 years (i think dont quote me).hope this info helps.good luck with aren.

Hi Aren,

The central line or port is a very helpful device in this regard, but the only concern is it's getting infected and clotted.

You have to take special care of it so that it may not get infected. I don't know what the weather is there in your location, but try to keep your child very cool. Sweating can infect the port if not properly kept clean. Furthermore it has to be flushed regularly lest any clots develop in it.

I hope you will be able to manage it as it can be a very useful device and prevent all the trauma of needle pricking to your child; however if it gets infected or clotted then that infection and clots can easily move to other organs via the blood stream and cause serious complications.

You will have to weigh it's benefits with the risks and decide accordingly.

As far as the chelation is concerned, then your doctor will advice you more better depending on the serum ferritin level of your child.

Take care, Peace!

Hi Aren,

As Sajid and Sydneygirl have mentioned, the central line or port is a very useful tool. You must keep it clean and flushed on a regular basis. Perhaps you could cover the device when not in use with a clean bandage that way its not exposed and people are not touching it.

It does make a difference when you have this device available to you. Some time ago I would not have suggested it, however as I recently had the experience with it, it does make life alot easier.

In regards to the little ones iron chelation method, your doctor will best advise you on this. However it is recommended that iron chelation does not start until after the age of 2 yrs old.

Hope this info helps you.

Miaki

Hi,

if there are no other complications the central line can stay for many years. I get my second port in 1997 and i still use it. Even it was infected by a strain of bacteria several times i dont let remove it.
You can read the posting about my experiences with central line on the following thread:

http://www.thalassemiapatientsandfriends.com/index.php?topic=446.15

God bless you and your littel Aren