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- • Ambulatory pumps Small portable pumps that deliver chemotherapy while you go about your normal
- activities are called ambulatory pumps. ("Ambulatory" just means you can walk around.)
- These devices are often about the size of a deck of cards. They hold the drug supply, a mechanism for
- injecting it slowly and smoothly into an attached catheter , a battery to power the mechanism and controls for
- regulating the rate of drug delivery. Many of the pumps have become very sophisticated. Some have alarms to
- alert you to problems. One of the newer systems can deliver four separate drugs in a preset time sequence.
- Several types are available. The balloon pump is the cheapest and simplest, consisting basically of a large
- plastic reservoir. The pump is filled, then attached to a port or catheter. The pump empties automatically
- when it's connected.
- • Central nervous system delivery Some patients, such as those with acute leukemia, need chemotherapy drugs
- injected into the spinal fluid. This can be done by repeated lumbar punctures (spinal taps), but the preferred
- method is to use an Ommaya reservoir. This is a rubber bulb usually placed under the scalp. A tiny tube
- connects the reservoir to the spinal fluid compartment. This requires a minor operation for placement of the
- reservoir and tube. Drugs are injected through the skin into the reservoir. Infection in the reservoir area is a
- possibility, so patients are usually monitored for side effects such as tenderness, inflammation , fever, stiff
- neck and headaches.
