Carotid Endarterectomy

Before surgery

Your surgeon will perform a physical exam and may order tests to ensure you’re healthy enough to have surgery. To help you stay safe during and after carotid endarterectomy, you’ll need to take some important steps in the days and weeks leading up to the surgery. Your surgical team may recommend that you:

• Quit smoking
• Stop eating and drinking just before the surgery, according to your surgeon’s instructions
• Stop taking certain medications, such as blood thinners, as directed by your surgeon

Ask your surgeon which medicines you can take on the day of surgery. Be sure you know when to arrive at the hospital—a prompt arrival helps the process run smoothly—and where to go when you arrive. It’s a good idea to ask a friend or family member to accompany you so they can drive you to the hospital and take you home. You may be able to go home the same day after your procedure, but be sure to pack essential items for a hospital stay in case you need to spend the night.

Prepare for your surgery

During surgery

Carotid endarterectomy usually takes around two hours and is considered open surgery. That means your vascular surgeon will make an incision in your neck to access and treat your carotid arteries.

Here’s what happens when you have the procedure: 

• You’ll receive general anesthesia to send you to sleep or a local anesthetic to numb the surgical area.
• Your surgeon will make a cut in the side of your neck to reach the narrowed carotid artery.
• Your surgeon places a catheter (a small tube) in the artery to divert blood around the blockage.
• After opening the artery, your surgeon removes the plaques to eliminate the carotid artery blockage.
• Once the plaques are out, your surgeon closes the artery using part of a vein or a synthetic patch.

After surgery

It is standard practice to stay overnight for observation so the team can monitor you for potential complications. It is common to stay overnight for observation so the team can monitor you for potential complications. In that case, you’ll likely go home the next day.

You can give yourself the best chance of a smooth recovery by following your surgeon’s instructions for when to resume normal activities, including working and driving. If your incision shows signs of infection, notify your surgeon right away.

Be sure to attend your follow-up appointment, where you may have a carotid ultrasound so your surgeon can check how well blood is flowing through the carotid artery.

Your throat may be sore after surgery, but it will improve. In the meantime, avoid eating foods that might irritate your throat. Your incision will be numb, but the feeling will return over time.