Health Info #3
Final Evaluation
If the tests and interviews show that a stem cell transplant will be helpful, the doctor will hold a conference with you. As part of the final evaluation you may have a consultation with a surgeon to discuss putting in a double-lumen Hickman Catheter. This is used to give medicines and blood products during and shortly after transplant.
Central Venous Catheters
Central Venous Catheters are hollow tubes made of a special soft plastic. They are used to draw blood and to give medicines and blood transfusions. The CVC is inserted in the operating room under general anesthesia (completely "asleep"). The day before the surgery, you will receive a call with instructions about when to come to the Same Day Surgery unit. You will also be given instructions as to when to stop eating and drinking.
The Procedure
When "asleep" from anesthesia, the surgeon makes a small incision near the collarbone and guides one end of the catheter into a large vein near the heart called the superior vena cava. The other end of the catheter is passed under the skin for a couple of inches and brought out through a small incision on the chest. This spot on the chest is called the exit site. The exit site will be covered with a bandage and you will be able to see several inches of the catheter outside of the bandage. The catheter will have two lumes or sides.
Before you are sent home, you will be given a prescription for pain medication since the catheter area will be sore for a few days. Keep the exit site dry while bathing or showering especially for the first 2-3 weeks after line placement
After catheter placement, there may be a small amount of bleeding at the exit site.
A donor may need to have a similar catheter placed to collect peripheral blood stem cells. This catheter will be placed the day before or the day of the first stem cell collection. It will be removed before the donor goes home.
If the tests and interviews show that a stem cell transplant will be helpful, the doctor will hold a conference with you. As part of the final evaluation you may have a consultation with a surgeon to discuss putting in a double-lumen Hickman Catheter. This is used to give medicines and blood products during and shortly after transplant.
Central Venous Catheters
Central Venous Catheters are hollow tubes made of a special soft plastic. They are used to draw blood and to give medicines and blood transfusions. The CVC is inserted in the operating room under general anesthesia (completely "asleep"). The day before the surgery, you will receive a call with instructions about when to come to the Same Day Surgery unit. You will also be given instructions as to when to stop eating and drinking.
The Procedure
When "asleep" from anesthesia, the surgeon makes a small incision near the collarbone and guides one end of the catheter into a large vein near the heart called the superior vena cava. The other end of the catheter is passed under the skin for a couple of inches and brought out through a small incision on the chest. This spot on the chest is called the exit site. The exit site will be covered with a bandage and you will be able to see several inches of the catheter outside of the bandage. The catheter will have two lumes or sides.
Before you are sent home, you will be given a prescription for pain medication since the catheter area will be sore for a few days. Keep the exit site dry while bathing or showering especially for the first 2-3 weeks after line placement
After catheter placement, there may be a small amount of bleeding at the exit site.
A donor may need to have a similar catheter placed to collect peripheral blood stem cells. This catheter will be placed the day before or the day of the first stem cell collection. It will be removed before the donor goes home.
posted by Rachel @ 4:29 PM
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