5. Expert Standard Port Care

Since there are no uniform guidelines for the care of patients with central venous port systems in the Federal Republic of Germany to date, the recommendations formulated in the following chapter are based on guidelines of the Robert Koch Institute and on the many years of expertise of Universitätsklinikum Heidelberg (Heidelberg University Hospital). The standardized professional care of implanted port systems after port implantation is the most important measure to ensure permanent, complication-free and safe access for patients. A study conducted at Heidelberg University Hospital in which the reasons for port explantation were investigated in 385 patients clearly showed that port infection was the most frequent complication of implanted port systems and frequently led to explantation of the systems.