Endarterectomy Side Effects and Warnings

Possible Complications

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

• Bleeding
• Stroke (particularly if the carotid arteries are involved)
• Blood clots
• Adverse reaction to the anesthesia
• Infection

Some factors that may increase the risk of complications include:

• Poor overall health
• Advanced age
• Plaque build-up in other vessels
• Other serious diseases (eg, heart failure , uncontrolled high blood pressure , diabetes , cancer , kidney disease )

Be sure to discuss these risks with your doctor before the procedure.

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 any discharge from 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
• Constipation or diarrhea
• Inability to urinate
• Dizziness or weakness
• Severe headaches, any problems with speech or vision
• Cough, shortness of breath, or chest pain

In case of an emergency, CALL 911.