Port catheter removal

What is port removal, and why is it done?

A port is a small device under the skin with a thin tube into a large vein. It goes in during a minor surgery for long treatments, such as chemotherapy. When you no longer need it, your care team takes it out.

A port can stay in place for weeks, months, or even years. A port is one kind of central line. CDC suggests asking your care team why you need one and how long it will stay in.

A port may also come out early because of a problem, such as an infection or a broken tube. The research section below describes one study.

Our guide to port catheter problems explains infections, clots and broken tubes in more detail.

When should I talk to my doctor about port removal?

Talk with your care team if your treatment is done and the port is still in. Call them right away if the port seems to have moved or the skin around it is red, swollen or warm. Also call for a fever over 100.4°F (38°C).

Other warning signs are yellow or green fluid at the site, pain there, or a port the needle cannot reach. Only you and your doctor should decide when a port comes out.

Never have a device removed just for a lawsuit. A lawsuit is not a medical reason for surgery. Bring a written list of questions, and keep asking until the answers make sense to you.

What happens when a port comes out, and how are problems treated?

MedlinePlus says a port first goes in during a minor surgery. A provider takes it out when it is no longer needed. Ask your care team how they will take it out and what the risks are for you. If the port gets infected or its tube breaks, they will decide how to treat it.

In one Bard test case, the court says a piece of a broken tube reached the heart and was taken out in a later procedure.

Which records matter after port removal?

Ask for the operative report from the day the port came out. Federal hospital rules say it must describe what the surgeon did and found. Also ask for the record from the day the port went in, and look for its model and lot number.

A port’s label carries a code, called a UDI, that names the maker and model. It can also hold the lot number. FDA lists some port recalls by lot number, so that number can matter.

Ask whether the removed port was kept, and where it went. Experts for the people suing Bard said it would be “extraordinarily rare” for a doctor to send an infected, removed port back to the maker. FDA’s problem report form asks whether a device is still available to be checked.

Your chart may also say why the port came out. In one Bard test case, a record said the port was removed for “sepsis with probable infected port.” The court noted that an infected port is not the same as a port that caused the infection.

Ask for any lab or pathology report on the removed port or tube, such as a germ test called a culture.

You have a right to copies of your records, including lab results and scans. Our medical records request tool can help you draft that letter.

What does research say about Bard and AngioDynamics ports and removal?

CDC says central lines, like ports, are much more likely than a regular IV to cause a serious infection. CDC’s warning is about all central lines. It does not name any brand. We found no FDA finding that Bard or AngioDynamics ports cause infections, clots or broken tubes.

In one study of 132 people with a PowerPort, the port was taken out because of infection in 4 people and a kinked tube in 1 person. Each infected port came out soon after signs such as fever, pain or swelling, and lab tests on the removed port or tube helped show which germ it was.

That study came from one hospital in Japan. It did not compare brands, so it cannot show that one port is safer than another.

The FDA recall we read for one group of PowerPort lots was about a wrong part in the kit. It was not about infection, clots or tube wear.

The Bard judge has ruled on which expert opinions a jury may hear. These rulings are about evidence, not proof that a port hurt anyone. None of the court orders listed on this page says either company’s ports cause these problems.

Who brings port claims in the Bard and AngioDynamics cases?

People who had a Bard or AngioDynamics port brought these federal cases. They say they later had an infection, a clot, or a tube that broke or moved. Bard test cases describe a port removed for a likely infection and a broken piece of tube taken out of the heart. A lawyer can look at your records and tell you if you may have a claim.

Barium sulfate is added to the tube so it shows up on scans. The lawsuits say too much of it weakens the tube.

The Bard cases are grouped in federal court in Arizona. The AngioDynamics cases are grouped before Judge Jinsook Ohta in Southern California. Each case page explains what is happening now.

Can a family member get records after a port is removed?

Often, yes, if the law gives them the right role. A parent can usually get a child’s records, with some exceptions. A person named in a health care power of attorney can act for the patient.

When a patient has died, the person in charge of the estate, such as an executor, can ask for the records tied to that job. Doctors may talk about the care with a relative who helped, unless the patient objected before. Rules differ by state.

For a death after a port problem, our wrongful death page gives a general overview of those claims.