What happens during a carotid endarterectomy
You'll usually need to go into hospital on the day you have a carotid endarterectomy and stay in overnight.
Do not eat or drink anything before the operation. Your care team will tell you how long you should avoid eating and drinking for.
For the operation, you may be given either a:
- general anaesthetic – meaning you'll be asleep during the operation
- local anaesthetic – meaning you’ll be awake, but your neck will be numb
You’ll be seen by an anaesthetist who will discuss your options with you.
The main steps of the operation are:
- The surgeon makes a small cut in your neck.
- Your carotid artery is opened and the fatty deposits (plaques) inside are removed.
- After the artery is cleared it’s closed with small stitches. The surgeon may also stitch a small patch of man-made (synthetic) material into the artery to help keep it open and stop it narrowing again.
- The wound is closed with stitches under your skin or stitches or clips that will be removed after a few days.
- A small plastic drain may be attached to your neck to allow any excess blood to be drained and help reduce swelling.
A carotid endarterectomy usually takes 1 to 2 hours.