Medical Oncologist
Ports and lines
Ports and lines in children
Almost certainly, if the plan is a standard paediatric protocol. Those run for months and often years, with frequent blood tests as well as treatment, and a port removes nearly all the needles. It is placed under general anaesthesia, which is what worries parents most and which paediatric teams do routinely.
NG
Medically reviewed by Dr. Naresh GunduConsultant Medical Oncologist · MBBS, DNB (Internal Medicine), DM (Medical Oncology, AIIMS) · last reviewed September 2026, next review due September 2027
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The short answer
Does my child need a port for chemotherapy?
Almost certainly, if the plan is a standard paediatric protocol. Those run for months and often for years, with frequent blood tests as well as treatment. Asking a child to accept repeated needles over that period is neither practical nor kind, and a port removes nearly all of them.
It is placed under general anaesthesia, which is what worries parents most and which paediatric teams do routinely. The child is asleep, feels nothing, and usually goes home the same day or the next.
It changes the whole experience of treatment
Children who fear the needle come to fear the hospital, then the car journey, then the morning. A port breaks that chain. Parents consistently describe it as the single thing that made treatment liveable.
Ask about numbing cream as well
Even a port needs a needle through the skin to access it, and a numbing cream applied beforehand makes that painless. It has to go on well before the appointment, so ask for it and ask how long in advance.
Ask for the device card and the flushing schedule in writing, and keep them with the child's treatment file.How it differs in children
What is different from an adult port
- General anaesthesia, not sedation
- Children are asleep for the insertion rather than awake with local anaesthetic. This is standard practice and is what allows the procedure to be done calmly and precisely.
- It stays in far longer
- Paediatric protocols often run for a year or more, and the port usually stays until treatment finishes and sometimes into follow-up. Ask how long yours is expected to remain.
- Growth is taken into account
- Children grow, and the position of the tube relative to the body changes. This is why position is sometimes rechecked, and occasionally why a device needs adjusting.
- Numbing cream is routine
- Applied to the skin over the port well before each access, so the needle is not felt. Ask for it every time, and ask how far in advance to apply it if you do it at home.
- It is used for blood tests too
- Which is much of the benefit, since paediatric protocols need frequent counts. Ask whether your unit uses the port for sampling, because not all do.
- The child's own understanding matters
- Even young children cope far better when told what will happen in plain words. Ask whether the hospital has a play specialist or counsellor who can prepare them.
Not sure whether this applies to you?
Ask an oncologistPractical
Daily life with a child who has a port
Less restrictive than parents expect, once the site has healed.
School and play
Generally normal once healed and when counts allow. Ask about contact sports and anything with a real chance of a blow to the chest, and tell the school that the device is there and what to do in an emergency.
Tell the school
- That a port is in place
- Who to call, and when
Bathing
Normal once healed, since the skin over a port is intact. Keep the area dry while the dressing is on after insertion. Swimming needs asking about rather than assuming.
Clothes and seatbelts
Soft cotton, nothing with a seam or strap sitting over the site, and a pad under the seatbelt if it presses. Front-opening tops make treatment days much easier.
Avoid
- Backpack straps over the port
- Anything that rubs the site
Keep the flushing appointments
Including during gaps in treatment. Missed flushes are the commonest avoidable reason a port blocks, and a blocked port in the middle of a long protocol is a real setback.
!
Go to the hospital the same day for these
A fever, or shivering uncontrollably · redness, swelling, warmth or discharge at the port site · the child becoming unusually drowsy, floppy or hard to rouse · breathlessness or fast breathing · pain or swelling in the neck, shoulder or arm on that side · swelling of the face or neck · the skin over the port breaking down · refusing fluids or passing no urine. Say immediately that the child is on chemotherapy and has a port, because a line infection in a child needs treating within hours. Do not give paracetamol for a fever before being seen.
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Being straight with you
What this page cannot tell you
It cannot tell you which device your child will have or how long it will stay. That depends on the protocol, your child's age and size, and your unit's practice. Ask the paediatric oncology team, and ask for the device card and flushing schedule in writing.
It also cannot promise there will be no problems. Ports in children can become infected or blocked, and a line infection in a child is treated urgently. Both are recognised and managed, and both are why the warning list above matters more than anything else on this page.
The anaesthesia worry is worth raising out loud
It is what parents fear most and rarely say. Ask the anaesthetist directly what is involved, what the risks are for your child and what recovery looks like. A proper answer helps considerably more than reassurance.
What to do next
Ask the paediatric team whether a port is planned and how long it will stay. Ask for numbing cream before every access, and how long in advance to apply it. Get the flushing schedule in writing. Tell the school. And put the emergency list and hospital numbers on the fridge.
Commonly believed
Four things parents worry about
"Putting a device in my child's chest is too much on top of everything."
It removes nearly all the needles from a protocol that may run for a year or more, including the frequent blood tests. Parents consistently describe it as the thing that made treatment liveable rather than an extra burden.
"General anaesthesia is the risky part."
It is what parents fear most and it is done routinely by paediatric teams for exactly this. Ask the anaesthetist directly what is involved and what the risks are for your child; a specific answer helps more than reassurance.
"Accessing the port will hurt every time."
A numbing cream applied to the skin beforehand makes it painless, and it is routine in paediatric units. Ask for it every time and ask how long in advance to apply it if you are doing it at home.
"My child will have to stop playing and going to school."
Once healed, and when counts allow, normal school and play are generally fine. What needs asking about is contact sports and anything with a real chance of a blow to the chest. Tell the school what is in place.
Questions we are asked
Common questions about ports in children
Is a port really necessary for a child?
For a standard paediatric protocol running months to years, with frequent blood tests as well as treatment, it is effectively essential. Ask your paediatric team how long the plan runs, because that answers the question.
Is it done under general anaesthesia?
In children, yes. They are asleep and feel nothing, and it is done routinely by paediatric teams. Ask the anaesthetist what is involved and what recovery looks like for your child's age.
Will accessing it hurt?
Not if numbing cream is applied to the skin beforehand, which is routine. Ask for it every time and find out how far in advance it needs to go on, since that is often the step that gets missed.
How long will it stay in?
Often until treatment finishes, and sometimes into follow-up, which may be a year or more. Ask your team for the expected duration and what removal will involve.
Can my child go to school?
Generally yes once healed and when counts allow. Tell the school the device is there, who to call and when, and ask your team about contact sports and rough play.
Can my child bathe and swim?
Bathing is normal once healed, because the skin over a port is intact. Swimming needs asking about, since many units advise against it during treatment because of infection risk.
Will the port be used for blood tests?
In many units yes, and that is much of the benefit given how often counts are needed. Ask whether your unit uses it for sampling, because practice differs.
How do we explain it to our child?
In plain words suited to their age: a small button under the skin so medicine can go in without needles each time. Ask whether the hospital has a play specialist or counsellor who can prepare them properly.
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Sources
- Cancer Research UK — Central lines and ports
- Macmillan Cancer Support — Central lines, PICCs and ports
- National Cancer Institute — Children with Cancer: A Guide for Parents
This page is general information, not a prescription. Do not change or stop any treatment based on what you read here. If anything is worrying you, contact your own treating team — or call our helpline and we will help you reach the right specialist.
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