THE WATERPROOF POUCH FOR DRUG TUBES

SARAH CHEESEMAN, 43, an accountant, lives in Woldingham, Surrey, with her partner, Peter, 43, also an accountant, and their children aged three and six. £18, centrallineholder.com AS PART of my treatment for aplastic anaemia — where the immune system attacks bone marrow — in 2007 I had a Hickman line fitted for intravenous treatment. This is a tube that goes into a vein and out through the collarbone.

The outer end splits into openings with valves at the ends. Around 200,000 people a year are given them for treatments such as chemo.

I had mine for three months; the ends caught on clothes and it pulled on my skin. It was painful and tedious. If I wanted a shower I had to cover it with cling film — the one time I didn’t do this, I got a nasty infection and went back to hospital for four days.

I said after I recovered I’d design something to improve life for those with the line.

In 2012, I developed the Central Line Holder, a pouch to keep ends contained, support the line and secure it near the body so it can’t catch on anything. It’s made from antifungal and antibacterial fabric, has a showerproof cover and a neck cord. Users can get on with life.

EXPERT VERDICT: ‘This is a helpful idea, especially when patients leave hospital and don’t have medical staff around,’ says Dr Aditi Ghei, a consultant anaesthetist at Watford General Hospital.