Hematologist
CION Cancer Clinics
Port and central line care in a child with leukaemia | CION Cancer Clinics
Caring for your child's central line at home comes down to three things: clean hands, a dry and secure line, and acting fast. Any fever, shivering after the line is used, or a cracked or slipped line means going to hospital straight away. Nurses do the flushing and dressings. This guide explains the daily routine, the warning signs and what to ask your child's team. At CION Cancer Clinics, our haematology team supports patients and families through treatment, cost questions and life at home.
BP
Medically reviewed by Dr. Basudev PokhrelConsultant Haematologist · last reviewed September 2026, next review due September 2027
17+specialists on panel
15,000+patients treated
35+centres across Telangana & AP
4.8★ / 800+Google rating
On this page
- What does looking after a central line at home actually involve?
- Which kind of line does your child have?
- What does a normal week of line care look like?
- What do families often get wrong about central lines?
- What do the nurses mean by these words?
- Can your child bathe, play and sleep normally with a line?
- Common questions about central line care in children
The short answer
What does looking after a central line at home actually involve?
At home, your job is to keep the line clean, dry and secure, and to spot trouble early. The flushing, the dressing changes and anything that goes into the line are done by trained nurses, unless your child's team has taught you a task and watched you do it.
Why children with leukaemia are given a line
Treatment for a childhood blood cancer means many blood tests, chemotherapy, antibiotics and sometimes blood transfusions over months. A central line is a soft tube placed in a large vein near the heart. It spares your child a new needle every time.
What the risks really are
Two problems matter most. The first is infection, because the line is a direct path into the blood, and chemotherapy lowers the white cells that fight germs. The second is a blocked or damaged line. Both are far easier to deal with when they are caught early, which is why the routine below matters more than any single rule.
Your child's own hospital gives the final word on care. Save its number on every carer's phone.
!
Two things that cannot wait
If your child has any fever, has chills or shivering after the line is used, or simply seems unwell and floppy, go to the nearest emergency department straight away or call 108, and say your child has leukaemia and a central line. Do not give fever medicine first unless the team has told you to, because it can hide the fever. If the line cracks, leaks or comes partly out, clamp it above the damage if it has a clamp, cover it with a clean gauze, and go to hospital the same hour.
Not sure whether this applies to you?
Ask an oncologistWhich one your child has
Which kind of line does your child have?
Your discharge papers will name it. The care is similar, but each type has its own weak points.
Tunnelled line
Often called a Hickman or Broviac line. The tube runs under the skin of the chest and comes out with one or two tails, called lumens, hanging outside. It usually stays in for many months.
Watch for
- Pulling or tugging on the tails
- Redness where the tube leaves the skin
- A wet or loose dressing
Implanted port
A small disc sits fully under the skin of the chest, with nothing on the outside. A nurse reaches it with a special needle when it is needed. Between uses, bathing is often easier.
Watch for
- Swelling or pain over the disc
- Redness of the skin above it
PICC line
A thinner tube put in through a vein in the arm, with the tail outside near the elbow. It is used for shorter courses and needs a dressing kept dry at all times.
Heavy use of that arm, such as lifting a school bag on it, can move the line.The routine
What does a normal week of line care look like?
-
Every day: look and feel
Once a day, check the skin around the exit site or port in good light. You are looking for redness, swelling, pus, a bad smell or new pain. Check that the clamps are closed and the caps are tight.
-
Every time you touch it: clean hands
Wash your hands with soap and water, dry them on a clean towel, and only then handle the line. Nobody else should touch it, and neither should your child's fingers or mouth.
-
Keep it secured and dry
Tape the tails to the chest or tuck them into a small cloth pouch so they cannot be pulled. For bathing, follow the method your nurse showed you. Most external lines must not go under water.
-
Flush and dressing visits
The line is flushed and the dressing changed on a schedule set by your child's hospital. Write the next date on the calendar. Missing one makes a blockage more likely.
-
Before you leave the ward
Ask the nurse to show you, then watch you, for any task you will do at home.
Leave a number, we will call you
One field. No form to fill in, and no charge for the call.
Commonly believed
What do families often get wrong about central lines?
"The fever is small, so we will watch it overnight."
A fever in a child with a line and low white cells can become a serious blood infection within hours. Antibiotics work best when they start early. Going in and being sent home is far better than waiting until morning.
"Putting coconut oil or turmeric on the exit site will keep it clean."
Anything placed on the skin around the line can carry germs under the dressing or loosen it. Use only what the nurses give you, and leave the site alone between dressing changes.
"A port is inside the body, so it needs no care."
A port has no tails to pull, but it still needs regular flushing by a nurse and can still become infected. Redness or pain over the disc needs a same-day check.
"Our child must stay indoors until the line comes out."
Most children can play, walk and often go to school with a line, once their counts allow. Rough contact games are the main thing to avoid, so the line is not pulled.
Words you will hear
What do the nurses mean by these words?
- Exit site
- The spot where a tunnelled line or PICC comes out through the skin. This is where infection usually shows first.
- Lumen
- A separate channel inside the tube. A line may have one or two, each with its own clamp and cap.
- Flush
- A small amount of sterile fluid pushed through the line by a nurse to keep it from blocking.
- Occlusion
- A blocked line. Fluid will not go in, or blood cannot be drawn back. The nurse may be able to clear it.
- Line infection
- Germs growing on or inside the tube. It often shows as a fever or shivering soon after the line is used.
- Neutrophils
- The white cells that fight germs. When they are low after chemotherapy, any infection becomes more serious.
Living with the line
Can your child bathe, play and sleep normally with a line?
Mostly yes, with a few changes. The aim is a childhood that carries on around the line, not one built around fear of it.
Bathing and swimming
With a tunnelled line or PICC, a shallow bath or a bucket bath with the dressing kept out of the water is usually advised. Swimming is normally not allowed. A port that is not in use often allows more freedom. Ask your team which applies to your child.
Play, school and sleep
Loose clothes that button at the front are easier than tight T-shirts. A vest or a small pouch keeps younger children from pulling at the tails. Tell the school teacher about the line and what to do if it is damaged.
What this page cannot tell you
It cannot tell you how often your child's line needs flushing, which cleaning product your hospital uses, or when the line will come out. Those depend on the type of line and the treatment plan. CION's haematology team, including Dr. Basudev Pokhrel, can review your child's plan with you and explain where each part of care will happen.
If you notice something and are unsure, call. No team minds a call about a line.Questions parents ask
Common questions about central line care in children
My child pulled the line and it looks longer. What do I do?
Do not push it back in. Tape it flat so it cannot move further, cover the site with a clean dressing and call your child's team or go to hospital now. A line that has slipped may no longer sit in the right vein, so it must be checked before anyone uses it again.
There is a little redness around the exit site. Is that normal?
A faint pink mark right after a dressing change can be normal. Redness that spreads, feels warm, is painful or has pus or a smell is not. Show it to the team the same day. If there is also a fever, treat it as an emergency and go straight to hospital.
Can we flush the line ourselves at home?
Only if your child's hospital has trained you, watched you do it and given you the supplies. Many families in India have the flush done at the hospital or by a visiting nurse instead. Never use a syringe or fluid that the team did not give you for the line.
What if the cap falls off?
Close the clamp on that lumen straight away, if it is not already closed. Wrap the open end in clean gauze and do not put anything into it. Call your child's team and go in so a nurse can fit a new sterile cap.
Can my child go to school with a central line?
Often yes, once the team says the blood counts allow it. Tell the teacher about the line, ask for rough games to be avoided, and give the school your number. The teacher should know to call you at once if the line is pulled, wet or damaged.
How will we know if the line is blocked?
You usually will not know at home. The nurse notices it when fluid will not go in or blood will not come back. At home, look for swelling of the arm, neck or face on the line side, or a leak when the line is used, and report either the same day.
Does taking the line out need an operation?
A PICC is usually pulled out gently by a nurse with no anaesthetic. A tunnelled line or port is normally removed in a short procedure, often with sedation or a general anaesthetic for young children. The team will explain which applies and when it is planned.
Is a port better than a Hickman line for my child?
Neither is better for every child. A port suits long treatment with less frequent use and an active child. A line with tails suits treatment that needs frequent access, and avoids needles each time. The choice depends on the treatment plan, which the team can explain.
Your Haematologist
Meet CION's haematologist. One specialist for your blood report and your plan.
Dr. Basudev Pokhrel reviews blood counts, transfusion needs and blood disorders, and works with the CION tumour board on blood cancers.
Want a specific doctor for your case? Mention them when booking.
Book Free ConsultationBook an appointment with our specialist
Share your name and number — we'll call you back within 30 minutes to schedule your consultation.
Sources
- NICE — Neutropenic sepsis: prevention and management in people with cancer (CG151)
- National Cancer Institute — Children with Cancer: A Guide for Parents
- NHS — Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia
- Leukaemia & Lymphoma Society — Leukaemia & Lymphoma Society
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.
Keep reading
Related pages
ALL Treatment Phases in ChildrenWhy the line is needed at each stage of treatmentSchool During Childhood Leukaemia TreatmentGoing back to class with a line in placeBlood counts during chemotherapyWhy low white cells make a fever urgentPaediatric Blood CancersAll our guides for parents of a child with a blood cancer
Talk to us
Want your child's care plan explained?
Share your child's reports and discharge papers. CION's haematology team will go through the plan with you and help you know what to ask. One helpline serves every CION centre.