SWHarden.com

The personal website of Scott W Harden

Port Placed Today

I got my port placed today! A port is a medical appliance surgically implanted beneath the skin which is attached to a a tube which goes into a large blood vessel (a central venous catheter, CVC). Instead of poking my arms to draw blood, deliver chemotherapy medication, or inject IV contrast dye during medical imaging, my port can be accessed instead.

Update (2018-12-13): A chest X-ray taken today displays my port quite nicely! The white objects under my opposite arm are staple-like sutures used during my last surgical biopsy.

Update (2018-12-14): A CT taken today shows my port nicely too! This CT series was re-sliced, maximum projected, then windowed to maximize bone visibility and hide soft tissue. The port is visible on the left side of the image, but the contrast dye used during the CT is also visible coming through an IV line. If you look closely you can see where the IV line turns into a needle, enters my arm, fills the veins, and clears once it enters my heart.