Type of Surgery
Information
Last updated: 11/24/2009
A person who has had carotid endarterectomy will be monitored in a hospital recovery room immediately after the surgery and will then go to an intensive care unit at least overnight to be observed for any sign of complications. The total...
hospital stay may be two to three days. When the patient returns home, activities can be resumed gradually, as long as they are not strenuous. During recuperation, the patient's neck may ache slightly. The doctor may recommend against turning the head often or too quickly during recovery. The most important thing people can do after endarterectomy is to follow their doctor's guidelines for stroke prevention, which will reduce the progression of artherosclerosis and avoid repeat narrowing of the carotid artery. Repeat stenosis (restenosis) has been shown to occur frequently in people who do not make the necessary changes in lifestyle such as in diet, exercise, and quitting smoking or excessive use of alcohol. The benefits of the surgery may only be temporary if underlying disease such as artherosclerosis high blood pressure, or diabetes, is not also treated.
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A narrated video that provides a detailed overview of the anatomy of the arm, wrist, and hand. It also shows how muscles interact with bone to create movement. Once these are explained, carpal tunnel syndrome is described and one way in which carpal tunnel surgery is performed to correct the problem.
In a carotid endarterectomy, the carotid artery is access through an incision in the neck (A). A measurement of the pressure inside the vessel is taken to assess the degree of blockage (B). The carotid is clamped above and below the incision, and a shunt is inserted to maintain blood flow (C). Plaque lining the artery is removed (D). The shunt is taken out (E), and the incisions are repaired (F). (Illustration by GGS Inc.)
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Other Information
Carotid endarterectomy (CEA) is a surgical procedure used to correct carotid stenosis (narrowing of the carotid artery lumen by atheroma), used particularly when this causes medical problems, such as transient ischemic attacks (TIAs) or cerebrovascular accidents (CVAs, strokes). Endarterectomy is the removal of material on the inside (end-) of an artery. Angioplasty and stenting of the carotid artery are undergoing investigation as alternatives to carotid endarterectomy.
Other Information
How many open-heart surgeries are performed each year? In 2005 in the United States, these procedures were performed: Valve replacements 106,000 Bypass (cardiac revascularization) 469,000 Heart transplants (performed in 2006) 2,192 Total open-heart procedures 699,000.
From: American Heart Association
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