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Bard Port
kzaller posted:
I had a BardPort placed on 4/25/09. On Aug. 8th, 09 I had my photo taken on my anniversary. In this phot you can see venus destintion, bilatterally. I began complaining to medical personal about this problem. I also went to the ER several times thinking that I was having a heart attack. Since then, on Dec. 28th, 2010, I collapsed with a completely obstructed Superior Vena Cava. I nearly died. I finally had surgery at the Cleveland Clinic (Jan. 19th) to relieve the obsturction. It required TPA as well as balloon angioplasty. I still have to have surgery to remove the port. It will prpbable require having my chest cracked open and place on a heart lung machine. I can't believe that this happened to me and the symptoms began so soon after the implant that I can't help but believe that the port is to blame. I am considering seeing a lawyer.
Has anyone else had a similar problem?
Has anyone else had a similar problem?
8 Replies |Watch This Discussion | Report This| Share this:Bard PortI had a BardPort placed on 4/25/09. On Aug. 8th, 09 I had my photo taken on my anniversary. In this phot you can see venus destintion, bilatterally. I began complaining to medical personal about this problem. I also went to the ER several times thinking that I was having a heart attack. Since then, on Dec. 28th, 2010, I collapsed with a completely obstructed Superior Vena Cava. I nearly died. I finally had surgery at the Cleveland Clinic (Jan. 19th) to relieve the obsturction. It required TPA as well as balloon angioplasty. I still have to have surgery to remove the port. It will prpbable require having my chest cracked open and place on a heart lung machine. I can't believe that this happened to me and the symptoms began so soon after the implant that I can't help but believe that the port is to blame. I am considering seeing a lawyer.<br />Has anyone else had a similar problem?
Byroney_WebMD_Staff responded:
Dear kzaller,
I am sorry to hear of your experience. I'm just going to mention that I don't see any photo, but even if I did, I'm not a doctor and it wouldn't make any difference.
I think your idea to consult with a lawyer is a good plan. He or she will be able to discuss what happened with you, and let you know if he or she thinks there are legal steps that you should be taking.
Hopefully if we have any members who've experienced problems like yours, they'll share their story with you soon.
Best wishes,
Byroney
I am sorry to hear of your experience. I'm just going to mention that I don't see any photo, but even if I did, I'm not a doctor and it wouldn't make any difference.
I think your idea to consult with a lawyer is a good plan. He or she will be able to discuss what happened with you, and let you know if he or she thinks there are legal steps that you should be taking.
Hopefully if we have any members who've experienced problems like yours, they'll share their story with you soon.
Best wishes,
Byroney
Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there. ~Will Rogers
Report This| Share this:Bard PortDear kzaller,<br /> <br />I am sorry to hear of your experience. I'm just going to mention that I don't see any photo, but even if I did, I'm not a doctor and it wouldn't make any difference.<br /> <br />I think your idea to consult with a lawyer is a good plan. He or she will be able to discuss what happened with you, and let you know if he or she thinks there are legal steps that you should be taking. <br /> <br />Hopefully if we have any members who've experienced problems like yours, they'll share their story with you soon.<br /> <br />Best wishes,<br /> <br />Byroney
susiemargaret responded:
hello, K --
you might want to take a look at an earlier thread about bard ports -- http://forums.webmd.com/3/chronic-disease-and-disability-exchange/forum/594?@guest .
-- susie margaret
you might want to take a look at an earlier thread about bard ports -- http://forums.webmd.com/3/chronic-disease-and-disability-exchange/forum/594?@guest .
-- susie margaret
what good is gold, or silver too, if your heart's not good and true -- hank williams, sr.
Report This| Share this:Bard Porthello, K --<br /> <br />you might want to take a look at an earlier thread about bard ports -- <a href="http://forums.webmd.com/3/chronic-disease-and-disability-exchange/forum/594?@guest">http://forums.webmd.com/3/chronic-disease-and-disability-exchange/forum/594?@guest</a> .<br /> <br />-- susie margaret
jebppr responded:
Dear kzaller: I understand your trauma. I received a Bard Power Port Jan. 12, 2011 and it has never worked but has caused much pain and anxiety. Bard refuses to discuss it until I return the port to them. Now that is a clear admission of guilt! My chemotherapy nurses can rarely access it and my infusion clinic refuses to try again. When it is accessed, it constantly closes and then cannot be purged because they cannot get any blood flow back but when they remove the needle, it sprays blood and bleeding cannot be stopped which results in massive bruising and swelling! The nurses cannot find the 3 nodules because of the swelling! All nurses and 2 doctors of Oncology have said it is defective and dangerous and must be removed immediately but the surgeons who implanted it are stone walling. They are apparently too cozy with Bard! They know if it is removed, it will be proven defective, so why are they and Bard hiding? I'll probably have to go to Mexico to get it removed because I have fired all those doctors and I've found you CANNOT find a doctor to correct another doctor's mistakes! What a great system we have!
Report This| Share this:Bard PortDear kzaller: I understand your trauma. I received a Bard Power Port Jan. 12, 2011 and it has never worked but has caused much pain and anxiety. Bard refuses to discuss it until I return the port to them. Now that is a clear admission of guilt! My chemotherapy nurses can rarely access it and my infusion clinic refuses to try again. When it is accessed, it constantly closes and then cannot be purged because they cannot get any blood flow back but when they remove the needle, it sprays blood and bleeding cannot be stopped which results in massive bruising and swelling! The nurses cannot find the 3 nodules because of the swelling! All nurses and 2 doctors of Oncology have said it is defective and dangerous and must be removed immediately but the surgeons who implanted it are stone walling. They are apparently too cozy with Bard! They know if it is removed, it will be proven defective, so why are they and Bard hiding? I'll probably have to go to Mexico to get it removed because I have fired all those doctors and I've found you CANNOT find a doctor to correct another doctor's mistakes! What a great system we have!
alpha1dana replied to jebppr's response:
jebppr,
I'm very interested in your post. I have a genetic illness called Alpha 1 Antitrypsin Protein Deficency which requires weekly infusions of an augmentation therapy called Prolastin. My veins were starting to squawk a year into the thearpy (I have to have it for the rest of my life.) So my pulmonologist had me get a port. The IR department installed a Bard Power Port in October of 2010. The first 2 months were great, with no problems. But in December we started having issues with no blood return when accessed. Christmas Eve the problem started again, and we played around with it so much I actually ended up passing out and stopped breathing. That earned me a Christmas hospital stay with all sorts of tests and garbage. But they accessed my port fine so they didn't consider it a problem. Low and behold the next week, problems again. My pulmonologist ordered an IR consult where they discoverd the port had not healed into a area of scar tissue event though it had been anchored to some tissue, so it was moving around and hard to access. So the assumption was that the home nurse wasn't keeping it stable enough and it was moving on her. (By the way the 3 bumps are a joke, we can see one clear as a bell but the other 2 are never findable). A month and a half ago my nurse pushed a little heparin after she got no blood return again, and out came a small clot, then the blood came pouring out into the tube. But low and behold the next week, same problem. 5 weeks ago I ended up in the ER AGAIN and they had the same problem as the nurse was having so they pushed a medication that was described as "draino for ports". I had to sit in ER for 3 hours while it worked but when they came back in to take it out, a whole bunch of thready fibrous clots came out with it. And for the next two weeks infusions were awesome. But now we've gone 3 weeks with no blood return and going back to regular IV as a fallback. This week I have to have a hep lock done so I called my pulmonologist. His nurse said that every one of their patients with this port has had the same problem and my pulmonologist was calling in a specialist to isolate the problem, take the ports out, inspect them and report his findings to the FDA. My pulmonologist doesn't mess around with this stuff for long and won't cover anybody's behind if his patients are not getting proper treatment. He's got all of my issues with the port documented in a folder and a timeline, as he's done with his other patients, and has obtained the lot numbers of every port. He is determined to get down to what's going on and will not hesitate to corner Bard about this port if it is found to be the problem. So not all doctors are willing to cover for companies, or let a patient suffer because they don't want to get involved. I hope you find a similar doctor soon, or maybe my doctor will get to the bottom of this with his own patients enough to help all the others in the country dealing with the same issues.
I'm very interested in your post. I have a genetic illness called Alpha 1 Antitrypsin Protein Deficency which requires weekly infusions of an augmentation therapy called Prolastin. My veins were starting to squawk a year into the thearpy (I have to have it for the rest of my life.) So my pulmonologist had me get a port. The IR department installed a Bard Power Port in October of 2010. The first 2 months were great, with no problems. But in December we started having issues with no blood return when accessed. Christmas Eve the problem started again, and we played around with it so much I actually ended up passing out and stopped breathing. That earned me a Christmas hospital stay with all sorts of tests and garbage. But they accessed my port fine so they didn't consider it a problem. Low and behold the next week, problems again. My pulmonologist ordered an IR consult where they discoverd the port had not healed into a area of scar tissue event though it had been anchored to some tissue, so it was moving around and hard to access. So the assumption was that the home nurse wasn't keeping it stable enough and it was moving on her. (By the way the 3 bumps are a joke, we can see one clear as a bell but the other 2 are never findable). A month and a half ago my nurse pushed a little heparin after she got no blood return again, and out came a small clot, then the blood came pouring out into the tube. But low and behold the next week, same problem. 5 weeks ago I ended up in the ER AGAIN and they had the same problem as the nurse was having so they pushed a medication that was described as "draino for ports". I had to sit in ER for 3 hours while it worked but when they came back in to take it out, a whole bunch of thready fibrous clots came out with it. And for the next two weeks infusions were awesome. But now we've gone 3 weeks with no blood return and going back to regular IV as a fallback. This week I have to have a hep lock done so I called my pulmonologist. His nurse said that every one of their patients with this port has had the same problem and my pulmonologist was calling in a specialist to isolate the problem, take the ports out, inspect them and report his findings to the FDA. My pulmonologist doesn't mess around with this stuff for long and won't cover anybody's behind if his patients are not getting proper treatment. He's got all of my issues with the port documented in a folder and a timeline, as he's done with his other patients, and has obtained the lot numbers of every port. He is determined to get down to what's going on and will not hesitate to corner Bard about this port if it is found to be the problem. So not all doctors are willing to cover for companies, or let a patient suffer because they don't want to get involved. I hope you find a similar doctor soon, or maybe my doctor will get to the bottom of this with his own patients enough to help all the others in the country dealing with the same issues.
Report This| Share this:Bard Portjebppr,<br /> <br />I'm very interested in your post. I have a genetic illness called Alpha 1 Antitrypsin Protein Deficency which requires weekly infusions of an augmentation therapy called Prolastin. My veins were starting to squawk a year into the thearpy (I have to have it for the rest of my life.) So my pulmonologist had me get a port. The IR department installed a Bard Power Port in October of 2010. The first 2 months were great, with no problems. But in December we started having issues with no blood return when accessed. Christmas Eve the problem started again, and we played around with it so much I actually ended up passing out and stopped breathing. That earned me a Christmas hospital stay with all sorts of tests and garbage. But they accessed my port fine so they didn't consider it a problem. Low and behold the next week, problems again. My pulmonologist ordered an IR consult where they discoverd the port had not healed into a area of scar tissue event though it had been anchored to some tissue, so it was moving around and hard to access. So the assumption was that the home nurse wasn't keeping it stable enough and it was moving on her. (By the way the 3 bumps are a joke, we can see one clear as a bell but the other 2 are never findable). A month and a half ago my nurse pushed a little heparin after she got no blood return again, and out came a small clot, then the blood came pouring out into the tube. But low and behold the next week, same problem. 5 weeks ago I ended up in the ER AGAIN and they had the same problem as the nurse was having so they pushed a medication that was described as "draino for ports". I had to sit in ER for 3 hours while it worked but when they came back in to take it out, a whole bunch of thready fibrous clots came out with it. And for the next two weeks infusions were awesome. But now we've gone 3 weeks with no blood return and going back to regular IV as a fallback. This week I have to have a hep lock done so I called my pulmonologist. His nurse said that every one of their patients with this port has had the same problem and my pulmonologist was calling in a specialist to isolate the problem, take the ports out, inspect them and report his findings to the FDA. My pulmonologist doesn't mess around with this stuff for long and won't cover anybody's behind if his patients are not getting proper treatment. He's got all of my issues with the port documented in a folder and a timeline, as he's done with his other patients, and has obtained the lot numbers of every port. He is determined to get down to what's going on and will not hesitate to corner Bard about this port if it is found to be the problem. So not all doctors are willing to cover for companies, or let a patient suffer because they don't want to get involved. I hope you find a similar doctor soon, or maybe my doctor will get to the bottom of this with his own patients enough to help all the others in the country dealing with the same issues.
pinkvanillarose replied to alpha1dana's response:
Thank goodness for doctor's like yours. I continue to experience bouts of post traumatic stress, nightmares, and crushing chest pain following a 2010 catheter separation from one of these ports, and the procedures to correct the problem. I have contacted an attorney without much success, because I think they still view the incidences regarding these port "isolated" and hesitate to move forward on that basis. I will watch this thread, Hope all with problems are healing. Peace.
pink
pink
Report This| Share this:Bard PortThank goodness for doctor's like yours. I continue to experience bouts of post traumatic stress, nightmares, and crushing chest pain following a 2010 catheter separation from one of these ports, and the procedures to correct the problem. I have contacted an attorney without much success, because I think they still view the incidences regarding these port "isolated" and hesitate to move forward on that basis. I will watch this thread, Hope all with problems are healing. Peace.<br />pink
susiemargaret responded:
hello, all --
there is a new bard equipment thread at http://forums.webmd.com/3/chronic-disease-and-disability-exchange/forum/875/0?@guest in case anyone can help that person.
-- susie margaret
there is a new bard equipment thread at http://forums.webmd.com/3/chronic-disease-and-disability-exchange/forum/875/0?@guest in case anyone can help that person.
-- susie margaret
what good is gold, or silver too, if your heart's not good and true -- hank williams, sr.
Report This| Share this:Bard Porthello, all --<br /> <br />there is a new bard equipment thread at <a href="http://forums.webmd.com/3/chronic-disease-and-disability-exchange/forum/875/0?@guest">http://forums.webmd.com/3/chronic-disease-and-disability-exchange/forum/875/0?@guest</a> in case anyone can help that person.<br /> <br />-- susie margaret
k_taylor replied to alpha1dana's response:
Im curious to know if youve had your port removed and know what was causing this? My son had his first bard port placed in June and it worked great the first couple of months then we started having the exact same problems as you. After 2 dye studies they found the hole in the back of the port. He had it removed on wed. and it not only had 1 but 6 holes where the needle had gone through. I wonder if it is the same lot number. The hospital had 12 of the same ports out and 10 of the 12 have all had the same problem they have sinced pulled these out of that hospital.
Report This| Share this:Bard PortIm curious to know if youve had your port removed and know what was causing this? My son had his first bard port placed in June and it worked great the first couple of months then we started having the exact same problems as you. After 2 dye studies they found the hole in the back of the port. He had it removed on wed. and it not only had 1 but 6 holes where the needle had gone through. I wonder if it is the same lot number. The hospital had 12 of the same ports out and 10 of the 12 have all had the same problem they have sinced pulled these out of that hospital.
pinkvanillarose replied to k_taylor's response:
Hi k...so sorry to hear of your son's problems with his BARD port. There have been SO many instances of these ports failing. After my incident (I had complete catheter separation and the catheter moved into my heart). The hospital in my area has also stopped using these ports a little over a year ago. Not all BARD Ports, but specifically their Power Port device. I have information regarding a class action suit against this company. Since I began my thread regarding my incident, I have had many MANY people contact me here on Web MD or at my personal email. Everything from poor blood return, to the "bumps" on the top of the units eroding thru the skin, to holes in catheters/ports like your son had, to discplaced catheters and complete catheter separation as in my case, is represented. You can contact me directly for the information if you are interested. My email is tracyr2@comcast.net . Peace.
pink
pink
Report This| Share this:Bard PortHi k...so sorry to hear of your son's problems with his BARD port. There have been SO many instances of these ports failing. After my incident (I had complete catheter separation and the catheter moved into my heart). The hospital in my area has also stopped using these ports a little over a year ago. Not all BARD Ports, but specifically their Power Port device. I have information regarding a class action suit against this company. Since I began my thread regarding my incident, I have had many MANY people contact me here on Web MD or at my personal email. Everything from poor blood return, to the "bumps" on the top of the units eroding thru the skin, to holes in catheters/ports like your son had, to discplaced catheters and complete catheter separation as in my case, is represented. You can contact me directly for the information if you are interested. My email is <a rel="nofollow" href="mailto:tracyr2@comcast.net">tracyr2@comcast.net</a> . Peace.<br />pink
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