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Article: Vascular Access
- Article from:
- Gale Encyclopedia of Cancer
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2002 The Gale Group Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Vascular access
Definition
Vascular access is the use of flexible tubes (catheters) that remain inserted into blood vessels for weeks or months, and provide a means of infusing
antibiotics
,
chemotherapy
, pain medications, or
nutritional support
into patients, and enable blood samples to be taken from patients.
Purpose
Cancer patients may require a variety of treatments over extended periods of time. Many of these treatments are infused directly into the bloodstream (intravenous or IV therapy). For example, a cancer patient may need chemotherapy given through a vein, as well as blood tests requiring frequent samples to be taken from their veins. Indwelling catheters, which stay ...