As already mentioned I had my Hickman line inserted on Friday, it wasn’t a lengthy procedure or in fact too painful, but it has made life in terms of blood samples and injections much more comfortable and convenient.
What is it?
The main benefit of the Hickman line over the PICC line is that it has two separate lumens (valves) which means that treatment can be applied while at the same time blood tests can be taken. During my Methotrexate infusion, they could also apply saline solution at the same time to help support my bladder.
the main daily benefit for me is that the exit site is at my chest rather than my elbow which is better for both comfort and daily activities such as having a shower.
The Procedure.
From about midnight on the night before I was told not to eat or drink in preparation for the procedure. I was taken through to the operating room and asked to lie on the bench. The anaesthetist started to shave my chest while her colleague inserted a catheter into my wrist. She cleaned the area and then applied 3 doses of anaesthetic in a triangle from my neck around the right side of my chest. As the anaesthetic started to react, they applied a mild sedative (to help relax me noting that I still had my severe headache) via the catheter, and prepared the area by applying shields taped to my chest and face so that I couldn’t see the operation (and presumably to collect blood spray). They started by making incisions to the top of my neck either side of my collar bone. She passed a needle through the opening and into a vein which passes from my neck down under my chest into my heart. A guide wire is passed through the needle and advanced into the vein. A vein dilator is then passed over the wire to hold the vein open and make a seal. At this point the performed an x-Ray to check the position. I was fairly drowsy at this point, but was aware of what was going on. The staff reassured me as I went, telling me when to expect tugging and pulling, and talked me through the steps. Next they made an incision into my chest and passed the line just under the surface of the skin up to the site of the guide wire. The line was pushed into position and the guide wire was removed. The pulling and tugging at this stage was fairly strong and although I could feel what was happening, there was no pain, it was just a tugging sensation. After a few minutes, the entry and exit sites were stitched closed and a dressing was applied. The anaesthetist instructed her colleague to reverse the effect of sedation and another fluid was applied to my catheter. I became much more lucid and awake at this point and I could feel my headache again. I was sent back to my bed for a short while. A few minutes later a porter arrived to take me for a chest X-ray. 30 minutes later the doctor confirmed the line was in the correct place and was ready to use. The whole process probably took an hour and I was surprised how quickly it was ready for use. I was expecting to feel pain as the anaesthetic wore off, but the pain was no greater than a small cut. My collar bone was a little swollen and was a little tender for the next couple of days and it’s taken me a while to get used to sleeping with the line in. The top stitches will come out tomorrow (after 5 days) which I’m looking forward to as they’re starting to rub a little. The stitch at the exit site will be removed after 2 weeks. I have also had a bit of an allergic reaction to the dressing which has made the area a little red and itchy, but this is manageable. Re-dressing tomorrow should help relieve this.
robinbtaylor 