Endarterectomy is surgery on arteries. Due to consuming high cholesterol foods and leading a lazy life, people often face serious issues like obesity which may lead to artery blockage and heart attack. Therefore, it is very important to properly retain the working capability of arteries.

If you want to know what endarterectomy is and its details, keep reading.

After the consumption of fatty foods, your body stores extra fat substances in your arteries, which blocks the wide channel and affects blood flow. Endarterectomy surgery is a medical procedure where surgeons operate on narrowed or blocked arteries to fix them and make blood flow easily through them.

In this process, fatty substances are removed from the arteries to create space. Endarterectomy is generally performed on carotid arteries, as they are more prone to adversities.

Doctors may recommend an endarterectomy if you suffer from atherosclerosis. Although the case for every individual is different, it is usually recommended for moderate to severe atherosclerosis.

There are two types of endarterectomy. They are:

1. Conventional or Classical Method

In this process, a surgeon makes a deep incision alongside the sternocleidomastoid muscle and reaches the carotid cover. Afterwards, they expose internal carotid arteries and cut open them to find the plaque that is the fatty substance stored in them. As the process completes, the arteries are repaired with patches.

Benefits

• Helps the surgeon to use the shunt easily
• Can prevent future risk of strokes

Survival Rate After Surgery: The 1-month stroke mortality and morbidity rate is around 5.8%.

Cost of Surgery: Approximately ₹ 80,000 to ₹ 110,000.

2. Eversion Method

This process has quite less clamping and operative time than the conventional one. In this process, surgeons evert the vessel wall circumferentially around the plaque. After that, they divide and remove plaque and repair the artery. Here, a patch on the arteries is not needed. Instead, surgeons sew arteries in an anastomotic fashion.

Benefits

• It is an effective, safe, and durable procedure.
• It reduces total operative time and ischemic.
• It reduces the amount of postoperative neurological complications.

Survival Rate After Surgery: The 5-year patient survival rate is around 85%.

Cost of Surgery: Not Found.

Endarterectomy surgery requires a plethora of preparation, which is why patients are advised to follow the guidelines as prescribed by the specialist doctor. As prerequisites for preparation before the endarterectomy procedure, in most cases, the doctor asks you to quit smoking. This is due to the chances of chest infection, which slows the process of healing and may also result in embolism development.

In addition, if a patient undergoing this surgery is overweight, then he/she may also be recommended to reduce weight using light exercises. Furthermore, cutting down on junk and eating healthy will also help in many ways and accelerate healing.

The risk factors of carotid endarterectomy are as follows:

• Heart attack
• Stroke or transient ischaemic attack
• Seizures
• Harm to blood tissues around the incision area
• Infection
• Swelling around the incision area
• High blood pressure
• Irregularity in heartbeat
• Blocked airway
• New blockage in arteries

You can expect the following things before undergoing an endarterectomy:

• Your doctor will run different preoperative examinations on your health
• Generally, you have to visit the hospital for these examinations on the previous day of the operation
• Surgeons will check the health of your arteries and your overall health condition
• Before this serious surgery, you need to stop smoking
• If you are obese, try to lose weight for a smooth operation
• Keep a positive attitude towards the operation

During an endarterectomy, you will experience the following things:

• As the operation starts, surgeons will ask to remove any jewellery and objects from your body
• You will be properly dressed in operating clothes
• Surgeons will ask you to empty your bladder beforehand
• Surgeons will start an IV in your arm or hand
• Catheters will be placed on your wrist and neck to monitor your blood pressure and heartbeat
• Body hair will be removed from the incision site
• You will need to put on a hospital gown
• The surgeon will put a catheter into your bladder to pass urine
• An anesthesiologist will check your blood pressure, heart rate, and other health conditions
• Anaesthesia and pain relief medicines will be provided
• Surgeons will set up an artificial blood flowing system to keep your brain active
• The surgeon will divert the blood flow from the surgery area and perform the surgery
• The surgeon will place a pipe to your neck to pass excess blood
• The healthcare team will provide necessary medicines and care during and after the operation

The following are the things to expect after an endarterectomy:

• The healthcare team will shift you from the operation room to the recovery room
• A nurse will remove that drainage pipe on the next day of the operation
• The healthcare team will offer you solid food to check whether you can handle it
• The healthcare team will also provide you with the necessary painkillers
• Depending on your condition, you need to stay in the hospital for 1 to 2 days
• At home, keep your incision area dry and clean
• Take proper rest and eat healthy foods

If you notice the following symptoms after an endarterectomy procedure, then you should call your doctor immediately:

• Fever
• Pain near the incision area
• Trouble in talking
• Swelling and redness near the incision area
• Double vision
• Weakness
• Numbness in one side of your body
• Severe headache, etc.

Carotid endarterectomy is the primary procedure for narrowing carotid arteries. However, there is also an alternative procedure known as carotid artery stent placement or stenting.

Hope this guide will give you a comprehensive idea of what endarterectomy is in detail. This surgery is very common nowadays, and the survival rate is 78.2% for 5 years and 45.5% for 10 years. However, you should consult a cardiologist before going for this surgery to know deeply about the process.

Endarterectomy Surgery costs approximately ₹ 58,800 to ₹ 1,21,000 in India; it might vary across the cities.