TRANSITIONS TO PRACTICE WORKBOOK - Essay Example

In essence the expected outcomes from chemotherapy are to cure a specific cancer; when cure is not a possible solution, to retard the growth of the tumour; to bring about relief of symptoms like pain in cancer; to reduce the size of the tumours in case other interventions like surgery or radiation are considered as solutions and to remove very small portions of tumours that may be present after surgical interventions (Ignoffo, Rosenbaum & Dollinger, 2008). For the administration of Mr. T’s chemotherapy he needs a portacath inserted.

After insertion Mr. T returns to your ward what specific nursing care does he need in relation to his portacath insertion for the first 48 hours? The immediate care needs of Mr. T post portacath insertion involve, keeping the site of insertion clean, pain assessment and prevention, infection prevention, control of any possible complications, like pneumo thorax and keeping the line clean by flushing (Wood, 2000). Site of insertion has to be examined and any blood stained dressing needs to be changed.

As the anaesthesia wears off, pain may be experienced by the patient and Langhorne, Fulton and Otto, 2007 recommend the assessment of pain experienced and the use of medication like paracetamol to alleviate the experience of pain. Infection control is the next issue and for this purpose nursing care needs to pay attention to whether there are any signs of infection, like continued pain, inflammation and any oozing at the site suggestive of infection and initiate action to control the infection (Verfaillie et al, 2005).

Blockage of the Portacart line is the next issue in nursing care and Nursing Management of Intraperitoneal Access Devices, 2006, suggests the use of the Huber needle for flushing the line. Incidence of traumatic pneumothorax has been reported after the procedure and should the patient