In July 2023, Caroline Receveur revealed on his Instagram account to fight against cancer be you. Since then, the young mother has documented the stages of her illness on her social networks, not hesitating to show the touching moments, but also the tests linked to his state of health. Friday, November 15, she shared good news with her fans in a story (an ephemeral publication) on Instagram, announcing that she was removing a device used to administer treatments.
Indeed, she wrote: “Yesterday, I said goodbye to my PAC, this little box implanted under my skin which allowed me to receive my chemotherapy. It was part of me, it also reassured me, I think… I am freeing myself from it today with emotion, after 18 months of treatment”. A photo before the operation accompanied this text course. So, what is this device and what is its use?
What is PAC, which allows treatments to be administered to people affected by cancer
The PAC is the acronym for port-à-cath, it is a “small box placed under the skin (usually at chest level) and connected to a small tube, called a catheter, slipped into a vein”as explained by the National Cancer Institute (Inca). It is also known under the name CCI for “implantable catheter port”, the abbreviation SVI, for “implantable venous site” or even DAVI for “integrated venous access device”.
It is placed at the top of the chest, directly under the skin, during surgery. It is connected to the catheter placed in a deep vein. Once placed, the PAC “forms a small protuberance under the skin”writes the RoseUp association which emphasizes that this device is more or less visible depending on body size.
The purpose of this box is to allow medical treatments to be administered. Indeed, the veins cannot support the injection of treatments, this device “allows them to be preserved while allowing effective distribution of the products”details the RoseUp association.
“With each infusion, the drugs are injected directly into the implantable port, through the skin”indicates the Inca. This device is worn by the patient throughout the treatment and “allows you to have normal physical activity, to bathe, to travel, etc.”
When is the PAC removed?
“When the device is no longer useful, it is removed during a short surgical procedure, most often under local anesthesia,” writes the Inca. But as the RoseUp association explains, it can be removed “after a period of monitoring to ensure that further injectable treatments are not necessary”its ablation can therefore take place several months after the end of the treatments.
Its removal is done by a surgical operation under local anesthesia. The RoseUp association emphasizes that this operation “is however better experienced since it is often associated with a feeling of liberation”.
Sources :
- Implantable chamber – National Cancer Institute (Inca)
- Port-à-cath – National Cancer Institute (Inca)
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