Carotid Artery Endarterectomy Side Effects and Warnings

Possible Complications

If you are planning to have an endarterectomy, your doctor will review a list of possible complications, which may include:

• Bleeding

• Infection

• Damage to the carotid artery

• High blood pressure (hypertension) or low blood pressure (hypotension)

• Stroke

• Nerve injury in the neck

Factors that may increase the risk of complications include:

• The degree of blockage in your carotid artery

• Blockage of the carotid arteries on both sides of your neck

• Diabetes

Call Your Doctor

After you leave the hospital, contact your doctor if any of the following occurs:

• Signs of infection, including fever and chills

• Redness, swelling, increasing pain, excessive bleeding, or discharge at the incision site

• Nausea and/or vomiting that you cannot control with the medicines you were given after surgery, or which persist for more than two days after discharge from the hospital

• Pain that you cannot control with the medicines you have been given

• Severe headaches, swelling in your neck, or other new symptoms

• Cough, shortness of breath, chest pain

• Memory loss

• Drooping facial muscles

• Difficulty with speech, vision, or with moving

• Weakness

• Arm pain

• Extreme sweatiness

• Dizziness or fainting

In case of an emergency, CALL 911.