Understanding chemotherapy - Macmillan Cancer

Understanding chemotherapyLooking after your line or portBefore you go home, the nurses will show you how to lookafter your line or port. If you find this difficult, your nurse willarrange a district nurse to do it or they will show a relative orfriend how to do it for you.The main things to do are to:• flush the line or port with a small amount of fluid usinga syringe to keep it working and stop it from getting blocked• clean the area around the line to reduce the risk of infection• keep the area dry when you have a shower or bath –your nurse will give you waterproof covers• recognise if there’s a problem with your line or port andto contact your nurse or doctor at the hospital for advice.What to look out forMost people won’t have any serious problems with their centralline or port, but possible problems can include blockage andinfection. Your nurse will go over this with you.32