– 4th February is observed as World Cancer Day –
Nagpur, : The pandemic has put a renewed focus on the well-being of patients who are suffering from life-threatening ailments and diseases and need to seek their regular course of treatment at hospitals. In such circumstances, cancer patients are a highly vulnerable patient group. Physicians concerned about their cancer patients’ well-being amidst frequent hospitals visits for their therapy sessions, may increasingly recommend Chemoports to them to minimise hospital visits that could put their health at added risk.
Committed to patient safety, BD-India through its initiative ‘PortShala’, a medical education program for healthcare professionals has aimed to create awareness on Chemoports that may provide advantages to patients’ lifestyle and comfort, as well as the long-term health of the veins of hands and arms. PortShala completes a successful one year of its educational initiatives since its inception on 4th February, World Cancer Day, last year.
Speaking on the significance of Chemoports, Dr Amol Dongre, Senior Consultant, Medical Oncologist Haematologist & Bone Marrow Transplant, Physician at ALEXIS Multi-Speciality, Hospitals, Nagpur, says, “While the current pandemic scenario is challenging, we have to ensure our cancer patients have access to safe and best techniques that do not hamper their treatment and yet not compromise with their well-being. For cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. Chemoports can be extremely beneficial at multiple levels and offer much ease to them in their daily life routine. These ports facilitate chemotherapy, collecting blood samples and also perform CT scans. Moreover, it reduces the discomfort of frequent needle pricks which makes it the preferred choice for both the oncologist as well as the patient.”
Some chemotherapy medications can only be given through a port as some patients have veins that are very difficult to access. This makes a port a reliable option for the administration of therapy for patients with specific medical needs. Ports have a lower risk of infection over time than IVs or other devices that stick out through the skin. When an I.V is used, medications are more likely to leak (extravagate) into the tissues surrounding patients’ hand or arm. Since many chemotherapy medications are caustic to tissue, a port can reduce the risk of inflammation related to these medications’ leakage.
Pavan Mocherla, Managing Director-BD-India/South Asia said, “Advanced medical technologies today have enabled better care for cancer patients. At BD, patient safety has been at the core of all our initiatives. Our educational outreach program PortShala is built specifically to generate awareness around Cancer and devices such as Chemoports which are used to deliver chemotherapy to patients. Today, India’s healthcare ecosystem is constantly evolving and efforts are being made to tackle cancer at every level to support patients with the best treatment solutions.”
Patients and physicians can seek mutual benefit from Chemoports as they are multi-functional and can also be used for delivering fluids and transfusions, collecting blood samples for lab testing and injecting dye for PET and CT scans.
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