Implantable Ports for Easy Viewing Under CT Scans

St. Paul, MN, January 5, 2011 -- Smiths Medical, a leading global medical devices manufacturer, announced today that they have launched new implantable ports with CT identifiers for easy viewing using X-rays or CT scout scans. The implantable ports facilitate quick acknowledgement that the ports can be used for power injection of contrast media.

The PORT-A-CATH® and P.A.S. PORT® POWER P.A.C. implantable access systems now include an easy-to-see CT identifier on the top of each port. Unlike other ports where the C and T letters are located on the bottom of the portal, and often have to be read backwards under scout scans, PORT-A-CATH® and P.A.S. PORT® POWER P.A.C. systems contain a radiopaque CT identifier that is embedded into the top of the port septum for easy, normal viewing.

Implantable access systems provide a route of delivery for patients requiring long-term medication therapy such as chemotherapy. The portal is implanted under the skin and connected to a catheter that is threaded into a vein. Power injecting may be performed when a patient requires a Contrast Enhanced Computed Tomography (CECT) scan for diagnostic purposes. The power injection procedure requires use of an implantable port, such as the PORT-A-CATH®, PORT-A-CATH® II or P.A.S. PORT® T2 POWER P.A.C. implantable access systems, that can withstand higher pressure and faster flow rates than standard medication infusions.

source: Smiths Medical