Carotid Artery Surgery Risks

Carotid artery surgery risks are real concerns to anyone going in for surgery, especially if further health concerns need to be considered as well. These risks include reaction to anesthetic, trouble breathing, bleeding, and infection. This type of procedure is performed when a build-up of fat and cholesterol has blocked an artery causing early heart attack symptoms including unexplained headache, numbness in a limb, dizziness, and memory loss. Though these symptoms go away, they all lead up to a major event in the future, which may or may not debilitate or kill a person. Carotid artery blockage occurs when certain foods are consumed over a long period of time or family history creates an environment for increase buildup.
Build-up can happen over a long period of time starting with a small clot unnoticeable during daily life, but over time more build-up will slowly occur creating a platform for cardiac arrest. Decreased mental capacity over time or in short abrupt periods of time may indicate a mini stroke and thus lead to speaking with a cardiologist about the risk of further cardiac problems. Clearing up carotid artery blockage before detrimental problems occur will ensure greater success in the avoidance of future problems. Stress testing is available in order to indicate if and where a problem exists to ensure the best possible correction to a problem. Carotid artery blockage is a very serious matter that is reversible if caught early. Once scar tissue (the death of tissue) has occurred, the damage is irreversible, but efforts can be taken in order to minimize future events. However drastic a life change needs to be in order to minimize weakened health it is most likely a better choice than not doing anything at all. Simple changes in diet and exercise create a good starting point for continued wellness.

If a person does not currently exercise, then slowly changing habits such as picking up the mail on foot rather than in the car may be a good place to start. Take the stairs at work at least for the last couple of floors, walk to the grocery store if possible, walk the dog more often, or walk around the block every night after dinner. Some people sleep better when some level of exercise is endured before sleep, digestion occurs much easier during and after exercise, and this may be the perfect time to de-stress from the day. Someone who has a genetic disposition may have to work harder in order to obtain significant benefits from exercise, though increased activity may actually hurt someone with genetic dispositions. It is all a matter of balance. The risks of exercise should be compared with the carotid artery surgery risks. The ultimate decision may be to undergo the surgery with a detailed plan for exercise and diet change to follow.

A change in food consumption is a simple, but not easy way to obtain better health. It is easy to say don’t eat this and add this to your diet, but the reality is that changing any sort of habit takes extreme discipline and focus in order to succeed. Focusing on the alternative of heart attack or carotid artery surgery risks may help motivate a person toward their goal. Working with a professional or at least a friend going through the same struggles is crucial to success. Most likely a long time has passed that poor eating and exercise habits have been part of daily life, therefore the change may be harder than it looks. Humans are creatures of habit and to change those habits can be devastating if goals are not focused on and failure occurs. In addition, problems can be increased by the stress of failure to flow through with exercise or diet plans. Careful planning is crucial in order to not create a worse situation. The addition of fresh foods in place of processed foods is a dramatic change to the health of the body. Time for food preparation may need to be increased which may cause problems for some people, but the extra effort is worth the time saved worrying about a worsening condition. Classes through a local community college or the help of friends and family can get a person on the right track. True, change in diet and exercise wont guarantee continued health, but it does decrease the chances drastically. “Even by the God of thy father, who shall help thee; and by the Almighty, who shall bless thee with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that lieth under, blessings of the breasts, and of the womb:” (Genesis 49:25)

Careful research into the types of procedures available will enable a person to make a sound decision concerning continued health through surgical efforts. Carotid artery surgery risks will remain unique to each individual person, but some type of risk remains for everyone. A stent placement is a tube inserted inside the artery in order to break-up and free the carotid artery blockage. This is important due to the overwhelming amount of people who encounter heart attacks and strokes with the underlying cause as a blood clot in a major artery. Stress tests can determine if this procedure is necessary and beneficial in comparison to the risks a person faces. Everything a person will do to overcome the risk of a heart attack presents some sort of risk, as does the disease itself. The key is to determine the actions in which present the least amount of risk and the greatest benefit.