Port removal is a relatively quick outpatient procedure done under local anesthesia. A surgeon makes a small incision over the port site, frees the device from surrounding tissue, pulls the catheter out of the vein, and closes the wound with stitches, surgical glue, or adhesive strips. Most people go home the same day.
How to Prepare Before the Procedure
Your care team will give you specific instructions, but the general preparation is straightforward. Starting at midnight the night before, you should not eat or drink anything. If you take daily medications, you can usually still take them with a small sip of water unless told otherwise. Skip vitamins and supplements, which can upset an empty stomach.
Blood-thinning medications require special attention. Depending on the specific drug, you may need to stop taking it anywhere from 3 to 9 days before the procedure. Do not stop blood thinners on your own. Your doctor will tell you exactly when to pause and when to restart.
What Happens During Port Removal
The procedure is typically done in an outpatient surgical suite or interventional radiology room. You won’t need general anesthesia in most cases. The standard approach uses local anesthesia to numb the skin and tissue around the port, sometimes combined with light sedation to help you relax. You’ll be awake but comfortable.
The surgeon begins by making an incision directly over the port reservoir, which sits just under the skin on your upper chest. Over the weeks or months the port has been in place, your body forms a thin capsule of scar tissue around it. The surgeon carefully dissects through this capsule to free the port from the surrounding tissue. The port itself is small, roughly the size of a quarter and about half an inch thick.
Once the port body is free, the surgeon applies gentle traction to pull the catheter out of the vein. The catheter runs through a short tunnel under the skin from the port up to where it enters a large vein near the collarbone. When everything comes out cleanly, the surgeon closes the vein entry site and then sutures the incision in layers, working from the deeper tissue up to the skin surface. The whole process generally takes 30 to 45 minutes.
Why Some Removals Are More Complicated
Ports that have been in place for many years can be harder to remove. The body builds up thicker scar tissue around the device, and a coating called a fibrin sheath can form along the catheter inside the vein. This sheath is made of proteins and cells that cling to the catheter’s surface over time.
In one published case, a port that had been implanted for 11 years required two separate incisions because the catheter was firmly adhered along its entire track. The surgeon had to make a second cut closer to the vein insertion site, clamp the catheter, and cut it in order to remove it in pieces. This level of difficulty is uncommon, but it illustrates why longer-dwelling ports can present challenges.
If a fibrin sheath doesn’t come out completely with the catheter, it can linger in the vein for months or even years. Left behind, it may contribute to vein narrowing or serve as a surface where bacteria can accumulate. Your surgical team takes steps to minimize this risk, and in most routine removals the catheter slides out without significant resistance.
Recovery and Wound Care
After the procedure, the incision site will be covered with a bandage. Leave this dressing in place for 24 hours and keep it clean and dry. Do not shower during that first day. After 24 hours, you can remove the bandage and shower normally.
Underneath the bandage, your wound may be closed with dissolving stitches, thin adhesive strips (Steri-Strips), or surgical glue. Dissolving stitches break down on their own and don’t need to be removed. Steri-Strips and surgical glue will peel off naturally after about 7 to 10 days. If they’re still hanging on after 10 days, you can gently remove them yourself.
For the first 1 to 2 weeks, avoid submerging the area in water. That means no baths, swimming pools, or hot tubs. Showers are fine after the first 24 hours.
Activity Restrictions After Removal
Physical limitations are minimal but worth following. For the first 3 days, don’t lift anything heavier than 10 pounds. That’s roughly the weight of a gallon of milk. Most people can return to work and normal daily activities within a few days, depending on how they feel.
Contact sports are the main long-term restriction. If you play football, soccer, or similar sports, wait 6 to 8 weeks before returning to play. This gives the deeper tissues enough time to heal fully and regain strength at the former port site.
What the Scar Looks Like Over Time
The incision for a port removal is small, typically around 2 centimeters. In the first several weeks, the scar will look pink or red and may feel firm or slightly raised. This is normal. The tissue underneath is actively rebuilding, laying down collagen to strengthen the area.
Starting around four to six weeks after the procedure, the scar enters a remodeling phase that continues for 9 to 12 months. During this time, the scar gradually softens, flattens, and fades closer to your natural skin tone. It won’t disappear entirely, but for most people it becomes a faint, thin line.
Some people develop a raised scar called a hypertrophic scar, especially if the wound was closed under tension. These scars stay within the borders of the original incision and usually flatten over time. Keloid scars, which extend beyond the incision line and have a bumpy texture, are less common and tend to occur in people with a genetic tendency to overproduce collagen. If you’ve developed keloids from previous surgeries or injuries, mention this to your surgeon beforehand so they can plan accordingly.