2012年6月9日 星期六

另一種植入式中央靜脈注射埠 port A --Arm Port ( 一 )

醫院的植入式中央靜脈注射埠port A ( Port-A-cath ) 是個大宗的業務
這個小小的東西一般用來提供病人化療藥物注射, 國外還可以用來給需要長期治療的病人
例如感染性心內膜炎需點滴注射抗生素四至六週以上
短腸症的病人需長期使用靜脈營養可能要一輩子每天打針
用來注射抗生素抗病毒藥劑營養針甚至輸血都很方便
特殊的型號的port 還可以拿來注射顯影劑
當然最多的還是用來做化療

以前別科還會會診心臟外科作這個小手術的時候
一個月總有超過五十個病人接受這個手術
也代表每個月我們醫院可能出現了超過五十位新的癌症患者
實在令人心驚
裡面有新發現的鼻煙癌, 乳癌, 血癌, 淋巴癌, 食道癌,  肺癌或者術後復發轉移的各式癌症
或者開完刀嚴重淋巴轉移可能開刀無法確保完全乾淨的的的胃癌, 大腸癌,肝癌, 胰臟癌, 腦癌,
骨癌, 子宮內膜癌, 卵巢癌...
所以光是幫這些滿臉愁思的病人及家屬做妥善的術前術後講解各種化療用的管路選擇的優缺點
實在是個痛苦差事
...

一般常見的化學治療注射管路有兩種
一種是植入式的一種是外露式的
植入式就是一般簡稱為 port A 的注射埠
外露式的就是PICC 從周邊插入的中央靜脈管一般指手肘上下擺進上腔靜脈中的化療注射管

有一條細細的注射接頭露在皮膚外面
使用時不需以特殊針頭扎進皮膚中
只需將點滴頭接在注射接頭上就可以了
病人省掉每次扎針的疼痛感也不用擔心點滴液外漏在皮下或者管路斷裂氣體栓塞等等併發症
可是外露式的PICC 由於需要患者每日自行照顧管路消毒以及防止洗澡濺濕傷口等麻煩事
在我們醫院不太受到患者以及醫師歡迎
有一陣子幾乎病人全部選擇放在鎖骨下或者說前胸的chest port


大約從2009年開始
美國一些醫學中心開始嘗試使用可以埋在上臂或者手肘附近比傳統port A 小了一半的
植入式port

簡稱為arm port
當然在做這類的建議給病人時他們會自行詢問其他病友的意見
這是其中一個癌友支持團體的問答
Q: ( 化療護士及醫師請她決定要擺在胸口或者手臂...)
I have to get a port put in this week. I assumed I would get it in the chest. However my chemo nurse said that some of her patients have recently had one put in their uppper arm. In the arim has to be done my a surgeon. Anyone have this type and what's your opinion of it. I need to make up my mind this week and have it put in since they are holding up my avastin a few weeks so it can heal up. Thanks,
A1: ( 擺在手臂, 萬分喜愛, 大寫 )
I've had mine in my upper arm now for years and LOVE IT!! It's much more comfortable than in the chest, it is much more easily accessible, and all of the nurses at my Onc's office absolutely LOVE IT!! They love it, I believe, because it ALWAYS works, and it is SO MUCH more easily accessible. This is the "new way" of implanting ports (I participated in a clinical trial of putting them in the upper arm when I had mine done) and even though I travel about 2 1/2 hours to get my Onc's office, they are now referring their patients to here to have their port put into their upper arm.

It is maybe 2" below my shoulder, slightly more toward the inner part of the arm. It connects into my jugular vein in the neck and then down from there.

I VERY HIGHLY recommend it!
A2: ( 想要在手臂不要在前胸影響胸罩背帶, 可是外科還是擺在前胸, 嗚)
I would much rather have mine in my arm. They can make that a powerport - then they can use it for scans that they can't use a regular port for. Also - my chest port is right where my bra strap would lie so I haven't been able to wear a bra since I had it put in. I say...arm all the way! BY the way - a surg. put my chest port in with twilight anesthesia.
A3: ( 病人放arm port的一場悲劇...)
I had mine placed just below the elbow and I loved it as well....couldnt even really see it...I was very well pleased....However, one day I lifted my 30 lb daughter and the catheter that goes up your arm to the heart, got ripped out of my heart and wound down in my arm...kinda painful and immediate surgery to remove it....This surgeon is awesome and he said he has placed thousands....He does lots of kids/teens with cancer and they lift weights, play baseball etc and he has never seen this happen....I believe him but no more ports there for me....So he put a power port back in my opposite chest...1st on was on rt, then rt arm now left chest *cancer side*.....so now i have some mild lymphadema in that arm....so wished it had worked in my arm....I really loved it and felt so less invaded, having drugs going thru arm not chest....but my new one works the best of all so am thankful for that. I would go for it....
A4: ( 病人擺了arm port, 擔心影響健身房運動..)
I had a Bard Powerport placed in my left inside upper arm in October and have been very happy with it. It's much smaller than the traditional chest port and the scar is usually not visible as it's on the inside of my arm.

As I was being wheeled into the operating room, the nurse told me I could never lift more than 10 lbs with that arm. I told her I was very active and she said "you gotta roll with the punches!" Now that I'm working out again, I called Bard to find out exactly what I can and cannot do. They were very conservative and advised against lifting any kind of weight over 5 lbs, doing yoga poses that put weight on the arm, and doing any kind of repetitive arm movements. As you can imagine, I was not happy as that would rule out many if not all forms of exercise. I spoke with my oncologist and he, like I, believe that they were being overly cautious. At the same time, we've heard from momX4TNBC that dislodged her catheter by lifting her daughter (30 lbs). The folks from Bard warned of dislodging the catheter and/or causing a blood clot from the catheter moving up and down inside the vein with repetitive movements.

I have begun exercising again and do modify certain activities. One day in a gym class, we did many biceps curls and my arm was a little sore right where the catheter might be.

So, overall, I'm very happy with my arm port but would speak with your doctor concerning lifting (lbs) and exercise. This is a risk with every procedure we endure. For me, not having to look at another scar everytime i look in the mirror was important. I'll continue to be gentle with my arm port and hope it continues to be good to me :)

大體上可以嗅出 親身經歷的病人覺得arm port 的好處是
1. 傷口小幾乎看不到疤痕
2. 不影響胸罩背帶穿著造成不舒服
3. 打針容易打
4. 注射藥劑時心理壓力比較小...
壞處就是
1. 可能不能提重物包括一把抓起三十磅重的小女兒
2. 可能會斷裂管路溜進心臟
3. 影響愛好運動者的選擇項目...

所以同樣的
在我們正式申請開始做這個擺在手臂的化療注射埠arm port
我們的考慮是
1. 會不會跟PICC 一樣增加血栓靜脈炎的機會
2. 會不會管路容易阻塞感染或者造成皮膚張力過大容易磨破皮膚或者造成穿著衣物的不便
3. 會不會因為管路小藥劑注射時的幫浦壓力很大, 機器會時常叫
4. 其他醫學中心的經驗呢??和信???還是國外大型癌症中心????

...( 待續)

2012年6月2日 星期六

上肢深層靜脈栓塞

運動完跟著小朋友到附近的紅茶店買泡沫紅茶
現在到處都有的泡沫紅茶店已經很少看見
打工的小女生拿著手搖杯做出一杯又一杯跟冰塊飄浮著的細緻泡沫的冰涼紅茶
都是使用機器代搖

我想起幾年前那個醫院附近非常出名的泡沫紅茶店的店長面色凝重的跑到門診來
說他的右手腫痛了快一個禮拜了
吃藥打針好幾天都沒效
她剛剛去了骨科
骨科醫師懷疑是血管問題
請她來心臟外科看一看

看到病人從手指手掌前臂一直腫到腋下與右側前胸一半
繃緊的皮膚底下沒有看到任何瘀青血腫或者明顯的表淺靜脈側枝循環
我趕緊追問病人有無任何的外傷或者特殊工作史
另外問一問是否之前有指頭麻痛或者冬天手指冰冷發紫
懷疑是否是書上寫的兩種原發性的上肢深層靜脈栓塞急性發作
1. thoracic outlet syndrome with venous compression 胸廓出口症候群壓迫深層靜脈
2, effort deep vein thrombosis 用力性深層靜脈栓塞, 又稱paget-schroetter syndrome

所以我請她去照了一張胸部X光片
初步排除是縱膈腔,肺部肿瘤或cervical rib 的問題
立刻要求她辦理住院
希望盡快開始使用抗凝血劑治療
小女生很為難地跟我討價還價
又拖了三四天才住院

抗凝血劑注射了四天
小女生的右手腫脹幾乎完全消掉了
我跟她商量要不要做個前行性靜脈攝影找一找靜脈阻塞的原因
順便看看需不需要使用靜脈支架來治療這個可能會復發的問題
她又用工作繁忙拒絕我

之後她很規矩地在門診吃了六個月的抗凝血劑
一直到腋下出現了一些藍綠色的測枝循環表淺靜脈
我想應該還是有一些靜脈栓塞後症候群 post-thrombotic syndrome產生
只是手不再腫脹
病人做自費靜脈支架的意願顯然很不高
就這樣結束六個多月來的治療
然後交代她萬一有再出現前臂上臂腫脹或者腋下出現非常多的表淺靜脈時
可以再來給我們看一看
.................................................

之後幾年
我再遇到許多上肢嚴重腫脹診斷出來是上肢深層靜脈栓塞的病人
就幾乎都是因為化療用血管注射埠port-A
造成的上肢深層靜脈阻塞

 

我們總是按照學長教我們的方法
第一時間請病人到開刀房將造成靜脈阻塞的port A 拿掉
然後視情況給病人做抗凝血劑或者血栓溶解劑治療
上個月連續兩個外科部長大腸癌的病人都因為這個小小的port A 才使用沒多久
就造成上肢深層靜脈栓塞
我也是先讓病人到開刀房拔掉port A 然後請病人住院注射二至四天的血栓溶解劑治療
所幸病人都很快症狀消除
部長大人還透過病人來門診謝謝我的幫忙
......

剛好前一陣子
我在review 深層靜脈栓塞的治療
重新看了2008年American college of chest physician 發表在chest 超級權威雜誌上的guideline
發現
咦...
裡面提到一句話
病人除非是感染或者port A 功能不良若是因為port A 造成的深層靜脈栓塞" 不建議 " 將port A 移除
然後又查到一篇
2011 年瑞士伯恩大學Nils Kucher 醫師在更權威的雜誌NEJM上寫的一篇令我折服的小論文
Deep-vein thrombosis of upper extremities
也是在討論裡面提到這段話
理由是這類病人在經過適當治療
六個月後還有57%的病人症狀消失而且port A 還能正常使用

 
....
http://www.nejm.org/doi/pdf/10.1056/NEJMcp1008740

現在我可困擾了
以後真的要改變目前我們治療的protocol 還是
不管論文上的建議
繼續使用我們學長教我們的方法呢
??????????????????????????????