Journal articles, textbooks, medical records, depositions, serial photographs, and the authors personal experiences. The degree of tissue injury can vary, but may be severe enough to require that a simple mastectomy be performed to manage chest wall necrosis.
Extravasation is a known risk of chemotherapy administration via implanted ports.
Vesicants should be administered only after a blood return has been obtained and the needle inserted into the port septum has been adequately secured. Extravasation of vesicant drugs from ports can cause tissue necrosis and may prompt litigation. Risk management strategies include careful assessment and use of ports, comprehensive patient teaching about the risk of extravasation and measures to decrease the likelihood of needle dislodgment, and development of extravasation management policies that address port extravasations. Any extravasation of a vesicant drug from an implanted port can be particularly problematic because of the depth of extravasation and the potential slower development of demonstrable signs. Extravasations can be the result of faulty equipment, human error, system problems, or some combination of the three.