The management of totally implanted venous ports in the ambulatory oncologic patient

Totally implanted venous access devices (ports) are widely used in all oncology units, because of the many advantages that they offer if compared to external central venous catheters, particularly in terms of safety. Nonetheless, infection, lumen occlusion and venous thrombosis may still occur, and they are often caused or facilitated by inappropriate insertion or inappropriate management. Reviewing the management protocols of ports in ambulatory patients of 50 Italian oncology units, we have been able to detect the lack of common standardized behavior regarding the technical management of these devices: in addition, some aspects of management differ significantly from what suggested by international guidelines.