Type of Surgery
Information
Last updated: 02/17/2009
After the peripheral endarterectomy, the patient's blood pressure, temperature, and heart rate will be monitored in a hospital recovery room for an hour or more, and the surgical site will be checked regularly. The patient will then be transferred...
to a concentrated care unit 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. Walking and strenuous activity may be restricted, especially if surgery was performed on the groin or leg. During recuperation, the patient may be given pain medication as needed and clot-prevention (anticoagulant) medication. Patients will be advised to reduce the risk factors for artherosclerosis in order to avoid repeat narrowing or blockage of the arteries. Repeat stenosis (restenosis) has been shown to occur frequently in people who do not make the necessary changes in lifestyle, such as changes in diet, exercise, and quitting smoking. 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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Other Information
A peripheral endarterectomy is the surgical removal of fatty deposits, called plaque, from the walls of arteries other than those of the heart and brain. The surgery is performed when plaque blocks an artery and obstructs the flow of blood and oxygen to other parts of the body, most commonly the legs but also the arms, kidneys, or intestines. The peripheral arteries most often treated with endarterectomy are those that supply the legs, especially the aortoiliac arteries in the pelvic area. Other arteries that may be treated with endarterectomy include the femoral arteries in the groin, the renal arteries that supply the kidneys, and the superior mesenteric arteries that supply the intestines.
Other Information
In 2005, an estimated 6,989,000 inpatient cardiovascular operations and procedures were performed in the United States; 4.1 million were performed on males and 2.9 million were performed on females.
From: American Heart Association
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