VENOUS CORDING & VENOUS OEDEMA | Risk of venous collapse and arm swelling from cannulas
If you're having or about to have Chemotherapy as part of your treatment regime for Breast Cancer, you may want to give consideration as to how the chemotherapy will be delivered intravenously.
Venous collapse is a potential side effect of chemotherapy if a cannula is used to deliver the chemotherapy. PICC lines and Portacaths are possible alternatives to reduce the risk of venous collapse, but each method of delivery comes with it's pros and cons.
Unfortunately, venous collapse can lead to venous cording and venous oedema. Venous Cording appears similar to Neural Cording but has a different cause.
Venous Oedema is arm swelling that typically occurs on the side that chemotherapy is being delivered, and is often the opposite arm to the side at risk of lymphoedema. In this video I explain how each condition presents and what you can do to alleviate symptoms.
This issue is only a potential risk to those patients having chemotherapy delivered via a cannula. However, I believe it is worth a discussion with your Medical Team as to which is the best method of delivery for you, particularly in the context of reducing risk of Venous Cording and Venous Oedema.