Having a stem cell transplant requires a number of daily blood tests, blood transfusions, intravenous antibiotics, chemotherapy, and nutritional fluids, all of which require frequent access to your blood stream. Because we do not want to give you repeated needle sticks, a hollow plastic tube will be surgically inserted in a small vein in your neck. This is called a central venous catheter.
The catheter is first inserted in a small vein in your neck and then into the large vein returning directly to your heart (superior vena cava). The line is then tunneled under the skin to the upper-center of the chest and to the outside. This procedure can be done either before your admission to the transplant unit or soon after.
The catheter allows your nurse to draw blood and give you the medications, nutrients, and blood products you will need. Patients usually keep their central catheter in place for approximately one to two months after the transplant. During your hospital stay, the nurses on the transplant unit will teach you how to care for your line. You will then be prepared to assume full care of your line when you return home.
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