"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."- says ChristianNet.com

Carotid Artery Blockages and Stroke Risk – 5 Facts

By Aimee Whitfill

Think you might have carotid artery blockage or know someone who does? If you have carotid artery blockage, you face a significantly elevated risk of stroke. And, you would not be alone. Each year, about 900,000 people in the United States die of heart disease or stroke. In fact, the older you are, the higher your risk. And, more men than women have strokes. Strokes are the number three killer in the United States and are a leading cause of disability among the elderly.

Here are 5 facts you should know about this major contributor to stroke risk:

1. The carotid arteries are located in the neck and splits into two branches

Each side of the human neck has an artery called the "common carotid." Each common carotid splits into two branches: the internal branch and the external branch. The internal branch brings oxygen-rich blood to the brain, while the external branch brings blood to the face.

2. Blockage can lead to carotid artery disease

When these arteries become blocked, you may be diagnosed with carotid artery disease. This is a type of disease that affects the vessels leading to the brain. As does the heart, the brain needs a regular and constant supply of oxygen-rich blood. These arteries are the primary suppliers of blood to the brain (along with two small vertebral arteries at the back of your neck). This condition can increase the risk of stroke by: 1. plaque narrowing the carotid arteries, 2. a blood clot becoming wedged in the artery already narrowed by plaque, 3. by plaque breaking off from the arteries and blocking a smaller artery in the brain.

3. The risk factors for carotid artery disease are similar to those for coronary artery disease

The risk factors for carotid artery disease are as follows:

a. high levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (bad cholesterol) and triglycerides in the blood

b. high blood pressure

c. diabetes

d. smoking

e. family history of coronary artery disease

f. obesity

g. lack of exercise

4. There are no symptoms specific to this disease

Although there are no symptoms specific to this type of disease, there are signs that you might be at high risk for having a stroke. For example, transient ischemic attacks (TIAs) are one of the most significant warning signs that you may be facing an impending stroke. Sometimes called "mini-strokes," TIAs are temporary episodes and can include headache, dizziness, numbness, blurred vision, confusion, or paralysis. The attacks can last anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours. See a doctor right away if you or someone you know has the symptoms of a TIA. However, the best option is not to wait for a TIA, and get screened as a preventive measure.

5. Carotid artery disease can be diagnosed

In most cases, your doctor cannot tell you whether you have carotid artery disease via a normal checkup. Your doctor may ask you whether you have had common symptoms of a stroke, such as muscle weakness or numbness, etc. However, in many cases, these symptoms are simply not present. This is exactly why most doctors will ask you to get screened by a preventive screening company which uses one of several diagnostic tools to verify your risk of carotid artery blockage.

Diagnostic tools employed to detect carotid blockage include:

a. Ultrasound imaging: Inexpensive, uses harmless sound waves to check blood flow, is non-radioactive, takes less than 5 minutes, and is very accessible via mobile health screening organizations in your neighborhood.

b. Magnetic Resonance Angiography (MRA/MRI): Expensive, uses powerful magnetic fields to give a detailed picture of your carotid arteries, takes about an hour, and is located in most hospitals or imaging centers.

c. Oculoplethysmography: Expensive, measures the pulsation of the arteries in the back of your eye as an indirect check for blockages in the carotid arteries, and is difficult to find in today's marketplace.

d. Arteriography and digital subtraction angiography (DSA): Expensive, X-ray pictures of the carotid artery after a special dye is injected into your bloodstream, heavy radiation dosage, and located in most hospitals.

Carotid artery blockage can be a severe and dangerous disease, but by getting screened early and often you can catch the disease before it advances too far. The key is to be proactive about your health prior to issues like carotid artery disease developing.

Visit http://www.healthyes.com/ to schedule an inexpensive Arterial Stiffness Index test using a painless, non-invasive ultrasound procedure.

Here is a good article from the Mayo Clinic that also talks about the risks of carotid artery surgery: click here

Check the above links for more information on carotid artery recovery.

Stroke Prevention – Carotid Endarterectomy Surgical Procedure

By Anne Ahira

The most common cause of seventy thousands strikes per year within the United States is the blockage of a blood vessel leading to the brain. This condition accounts for eighty percent of all strokes on an annual basis.

Carotid artery disease is a condition in which the main arteries that are located within the neck that supply the blood flow to the brain become narrowed or blocked due to fatty deposits and can cause the flow of blood to the brain to abruptly stop.

This condition can be accurately diagnosed through routine lab and image testing and a carotid endarterectomy can be performed to remove the fatty deposits or blockage from one of the two carotid arteries within the neck.

Carotid Endarterectomy for Stroke Prevention

A carotid endarterectomy is typically performed in order to prevent the patient from having a stroke due to the build up of fatty deposits within the carotid arteries that can cause the blood flow to the brain to abruptly stop resulting in a stroke.

This surgery has been found to be highly beneficial to those patients who have already experienced a stroke or have had the symptoms or warning signs of a stroke as well as a blockage of seventy to ninety nine percent within the carotid arteries. The risk factor for having a stroke is significantly reduced in patients who have this procedure as their chances are reduced by eighty percent of having a stroke within two years.

A carotid endarterectomy is one of the most common vascular operations performed and is a relatively safe and typically long lasting procedure. A surgeon will make a small incision within the neck to reach the carotid artery and removes the plaque build up as well as the lining of the diseased section of the artery.

The actual procedure takes approximately two hours and a hospital stay of up to two days is typically required providing there are no complications. While this procedure removes the build up of plaque, it can not prevent the additional build up plaque in patients who may be susceptible, therefore, some patients may be required to take medication or make certain dietary and lifestyle changes in order to prevent this condition from reoccurring.

Other Methods of Preventing a Stroke

The best precautions to take against having a stroke include the cessation of smoking, monitoring of blood pressure, and blood sugar control among individual who have diabetes. Certain individuals who are at a higher risk for stroke may also be prescribed medications by their physician including aspirin or anticoagulant or antiplatelet drugs such as warfarin and ticlopidine.

Individuals over the age of sixty five are at a higher risk for stroke as they account for seventy five percent of all stroke victims, therefore, if you are over the age of sixty five it is essential that you check your blood pressure regularly as well as have routine physical examinations.

Author: Anne Ahira, CEO of Asian Brain Company

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Here are a few videos on  carotid artery surgery.

Carotid Stent Procedure Video

Blocked Arteries in the Neck – Symptoms of Severe Arterial Plaque Deposits

Blocked Arteries in the Neck – Symptoms of Severe Arterial Plaque Deposits

By John M Campbell

The carotid arteries are 2 blood vessels, one either side of the neck, that each transport blood to the brain from the heart. These arteries can become partly or totally blocked resulting in the decrease of blood flow to the brain. This condition in turn is caused by atherosclerosis, also known as hardening of the arteries. Atherosclerosis is the outcome of a build up of cholesterol and calcium on the inner lining of the arteries. These deposits are referred to as plaques, which might eventually become so thick that they totally prevent the blood flow through the arteries. Those with untreated blocked carotid arteries are statistically likely to have a stroke.

Carotid artery occlusive disease is a permanent but treatable condition. Treatment is designed to stop further blockage and stroke. If there is some blockage devoid of symptoms, treatment will probably be limited to regular checkups, with ultrasound being used to monitor the condition along with medication that will cause the blood to thin to prevent the blood cells from clotting. Even if the arteries are severely narrowed, there is no guarantee of symptoms. If the blockage is severe, surgery might be recommended to reduce the possibility of stroke.

The most usual method of surgery, carotid endarterectomy, seeks to remove the plaque from the artery. For some patients, a balloon angioplasty (the inflating of a balloon to press the plaque to the artery wall), with the placement of a stent, may be recommended. If a carotid artery is 100% blocked, then it is unlikely anything would done to clear it because the risk of stroke is too high during or post operation.

Efforts are then concentrated on keeping the opposite carotid as open as possible. A person can live a good life with only one open carotid artery. The body is smart enough to reroute blood via a complex network to the side of the brain that would normally get blood via the blocked carotid. A dietitian (check with her MD) could help you devise an eating plan that is healthy & affordable.work).

If the brain is deprived of oxygen, it stops working — with potentially catastrophic effects. If the resulting impairment is permanent, we call the event a stroke. If it is temporary, it's called a transient ischemic attack (TIA).

Every human has 4 carotid arteries through which blood moves from heart to brain. TIAs and strokes normally begin with an increase of cholesterol plaque in the carotid arteries — the large blood vessels on either side of the neck which supply blood to the head and brain.

Stop or reduce the build up of plaque causing the carotid arteries in the neck to become blocked by using wholly natural products to do so. Blast Plaque From Your Arteries and Be a Whole Lot Better

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=John_M_Campbell
http://EzineArticles.com/?Blocked-Arteries-in-the-Neck—Symptoms-of-Severe-Arterial-Plaque-Deposits&id=1393861

What to Expect After Coronary Bypass Surgery
By Stephanie Trelogan

If someone's doctor informs him that his coronary arteries (the arteries that provide blood flow to the heart) are severely blocked, he may need to undergo coronary bypass surgery. Also known as coronary artery bypass grafting, this surgical procedure diverts blood flow around a section of blocked or diseased artery. According to the American Heart Association, more than half a million of these operations are performed every year. Bypass surgery is a major operation: The surgeon usually makes an incision along the breastbone (sternum), spreads the rib cage, stops the heart, and uses a heart-lung machine to circulate the blood during the operation.

In some cases, the surgeon may remove a section of a long vein from the leg and use it as a bypass graft.In this procedure, one end of the leg vein is grafted to the aorta (the large artery leaving the heart), and the other end is grafted to the coronary artery past the blockage. Alternatively, the surgeon may detach one or both of the internal mammary arteries (arteries that branch from the aorta) from the chest wall and attach the open end directly to the coronary artery downstream of the blockage.

Recovery from coronary bypass surgery depends on a number of things, including what type of bypass was done, the patient's physical condition before the operation, and whether he complies with his doctor's recommendations following surgery. A general timetable may help you plan for the future, but remember that there's no set schedule for recovery. Whether the patient experiences some or all of the following issues, here are some practical tips to help you both.

What you can expect:He may experience swollen legs for a few weeks after the operation. If the surgeon removed veins from his leg, the blood flow returning to the heart may be slower, causing fluid to accumulate in the ankles and lower legs. The swelling can be extremely uncomfortable.

What you can do:

• While he's resting on the bed or couch, place several pillows under his legs to raise his feet higher than his heart. Do this for an hour at a time, at least three times a day.
• Remind him not to sit in one position for a long time or cross his legs, which can impair blood flow.
• Once the doctor gives the OK, encourage him to walk as much as possible. Even short jaunts around the house or yard can help promote circulation.
• Ask the doctor if elastic support stockings might be helpful. You can buy these at any medical supply store and even at some drugstores.
• Notify the doctor if swelling worsens significantly or persists even with regular activity and elevation of the legs. Fluid buildup in the legs is a symptom of heart failure.

What you can expect: As part of the healing process, a lump may develop at the top of the incision. This is a seroma, a pocket of fluid that sometimes forms after surgery or traumatic injury. Typically, the lump will disappear in about six weeks, although it may take as long as several months.

What you can do: A lump and some discomfort are normal, but notify the doctor if there's increased tenderness, redness, or swelling, drainage from the incision, or a persistent fever.

What you can expect: Insomnia and fragmented sleep are common complaints after heart surgery. Normal sleep can be disrupted by pain, stress, or anxiety. He may find it difficult to fall asleep, or he may wake in the middle of the night and not be able to drift off again.

What you can do:

• Minimize pain and discomfort at night. Arrange pillows to help him find the most comfortable sleeping position. If he has been prescribed pain medication, have him take it 30 minutes before bedtime.
• Keep him busy so he won't nap too much during the day, but not so busy that he gets overly tired
• Eliminate caffeine in the late afternoon and evening.
• Play relaxing music.

What you can expect: It's normal for a person to feel fearful after heart surgery. He may be worried that the surgery wasn't successful or that he won't recover. He may be afraid that he'll develop future complications like heart failure.

What you can do:

• Let him talk about his fears. Don't brush off his concerns; keeping his feelings bottled up will make him feel worse. If it's difficult for you to hear his worries, help him find a support group or online community
• Encourage him to keep a journal. Sometimes just writing about negative feelings can defuse them.
• Remind him — and yourself — that his anxiety is most likely temporary. As recovery progresses, he's probably going to feel more like himself again.
• Encourage him to get back into a normal routine as soon as possible. Getting dressed first thing in the morning, going for a walk outside, resuming favorite hobbies, and socializing with family and friends are all excellent ways to relieve fear and anxiety.
• If his anxiety persists for more than four weeks, talk to his doctor. He may need counseling or antidepressant treatment.

http://www.caring.com/articles/coronary-bypass-surgery-recovery
http://www.caring.com/articles/physical-issues-after-bypass-surgery

What Are the Different Types of Heart Surgery?
By Dave H Clark

In medical terminology 'Heart Surgery' refers to a surgical procedure which intends to replace the blocked coronary arteries with the veins obtained from the lower extremities of a patient. The general procedure involves placing the patient on a heart bypass machine. Then the surgeon performs surgery on the non-beating resting heart of the patient. With the surgery, it definitely improves the quality of life of a heart ailment sufferer.

In order to fix different heart problems of a patient, medical science has come up with numerous types of heart surgeries. Below is the brief description of these heart surgeries:

Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting: It is also abbreviated as CABG and is one of the most common types of heart surgeries. CABG is usually carried on a person with a serous coronary artery disease (CAD).

In such type of coronary artery disease, a fatty material referred to as 'Plaque' gets accumulated inside the coronary arteries of a patient, which then blocks the arteries and reduces the flow of blood in the heart muscle.

In this type of heart surgery, a surgeon usually takes an artery or a vein from the leg, chest or any other body part of a patient. He then grafts or connects them (veins /arteries) with the blocked artery. With this, the CABG helps to bypass the blockage. In one surgery, the surgeon can bypass the maximum of four blocked coronary arteries.

Transmyocardial Laser Revascularization (TLR): This type of heart surgery is usually carried out to treat angina. This is the last option of heart surgery when all the other treatment options have failed.

In this type of heart surgery, the surgeon effectively uses the laser technology to make channels in the heart muscle. These channels in turn allow the blood to flow directly from the heart chambers into the heart muscle.

Valve Repair /Replacement: Heart valves are responsible for letting blood flow in one direction. Each valve comprises of a set of flaps known as 'Leaflets'.

These leaflets when get opened allow the blood to pass directly into the arteries from heart chambers. Thereafter, the leaflets get closed firmly to stop blood from flowing back and forth into the heart chambers.

Valve repair is a kind of heart surgery which aims at operating the closed leaflets. The leaflets get closed due to the valve fusion which ultimately results in the flow of blood from the valves into the arteries getting discontinue.

To overcome this problem, surgeons usually carry out valve repair or replacement. These replacement valves comprise of human, animal tissue or any man-made substance.

Aneurysm Repair: An aneurysm refers to the abnormal bulging in the heart muscle or in the walls of the artery. This trouble usually occurs in the left-most heart chamber. With the passage of time, aneurysm can grow worst and gets burst, thus leading to the bleeding inside the body. It may also result in heart attack.

In order to overcome this trouble, surgeons usually carry out a surgery to replace the weaker sections of the artery with a graft.

Heart Transplant: Heart Transplantation is usually done on those patients who have weak heart that fails to pump enough blood for meeting the various body requirements.

This type of surgery intends to replace the un-healthy and diseased heart with the healthy heart. This surgical measure is usually practiced when all the medical treatments fail.

Only those patients who are either severely sick or need an instant heart transplantation are recommended to carry out this surgical remedy. This is due to the limited availability of donor hearts.

It is entirely up to the medical surgeon who diagnoses your heart problem carefully to decide which surgical procedure suits you best and then carry out the appropriate Heart surgery.

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Cardiac Surgery 101
By Alice Lane

With over five million Americans suffering with heart disease, cardiac surgery is often inevitable. Cardiac surgery is performed in a Kankakee County Hospital by a trained cardiac surgeon on the heart and possibly its great vessels. The surgery is done to correct congenital heart disease, treat valvular heart disease and for heart transplants.

The first cardiac surgeries occurred during the 19th century. These early operations were performed on the sac surrounding the heart (pericardium). The first successful heart surgery was performed on September 7, 1896 by Dr. Ludwig Rehn of Germany. Dr. Rehn repaired a stab wound to the right ventricle of the heart without any complications. After the 20th century, cardiac surgery was performed on the great vessels as well as the heart.

By 1952, researchers discovered it was necessary to have a still, bloodless environment to effectively perform cardiac surgery. The first correction of a congenital heart defect using the hypothermia method of stopping the heart and draining the blood was performed at the University of Minnesota by Dr. C. Walton Lillehei and Dr. F. John Lewis. In 1953, the first cardiac surgery was performed by a Soviet surgeon under local anesthesia.

After these developments, open heart surgery was performed. This term means the chest is open, rather than the heart, which may or may not be. Surgeons discovered hypothermia had limits because the body and brain still need blood flow. Artificial methods using an oxygenator were explored, coining the term cardiopulmonary bypass. By the 1990s, cardiac surgeons were performing beating heart surgery, referred to as off pump bypass surgery because a cardiopulmonary bypass is not used. The heart beats during surgery but is stabilized with the hope of fewer complications after the operation.

New forms of cardiac surgery are constantly being explored in the Kankakee healthcare system. Image technology is a less invasive way to treat coronary artery disease which required open surgery in the past. The Kankakee Illinois healthcare providers insert a flexible tube into a large vein or artery so the procedure is safer and the patient is exposed to less radiation. With fewer risks and a shorter recovery time, image technology is also used to treat a wide range or medical and neuro-vascular problems.

Another new type of heart surgery is robot-assisted. A machine controlled by the surgeon performs the cardiac surgery. The incision made no longer has to be large enough for a doctor's hands. Instead, three small holes are made for the small robotic hands to enter. Typically, recover time is shorter after robot-assisted heart surgery.

Updated cardiac surgery methods make the procedures at a Kankakee county hospital [http://www.riversidehealthcare.org/locations/kankakee.html] safer than ever before. Recovery time is shorter so patients can resume comfortable lifestyles after receiving Kankakee healthcare. Riverside Medical Center received excellence awards for cardiac surgery and cardiac care, making them a leader in Kankakee Illinois healthcare [http://www.riversidehealthcare.org/locations/kankakee.html]. Riverside is proud to be named by Thomson Healthcare as one the nation's Top 100 Hospitals® in cardiovascular care.

Getting to Know the Heart Surgery Process
By Brent McNutt

In the US, the price range of a heart surgery ranges from fifteen to thirty thousand dollars. That is dependent on the type of surgery one is going through. However, thousands of people still undergo heart surgery no matter how expensive it is. Some people are fortunate enough to have a health insurance in place. But how can a heart surgery really save a person's life? Let's take a closer look.

There are several reasons why a surgery is required in the heart.

1. It is done to fix or change the valves which direct the flow of blood through the chamber's of the heart.
2. It is used to by-pass or expand clogged arteries.
3. It fixes aneurysms. These are bulges in the aorta which can split open. This scenario can cause a person's death.
4. Insert devices to maintain the rhythm of the heart.
5. It is done to destroy some tissues that cause disturbance in the electrical flow through the heart.
6. It is done to create some canal in the heart muscle to enable the flow of blood.
7. It helps speed up the heart's ability to pump out blood.
8. It is done to replace a damaged heart from a donor's.

The heart surgery team is composed of the surgeon himself, assistant surgeons, cardiologist, surgical nurse, perfusionist, anesthesiologist, and a scrub tech/nurse. These people ensure that the surgery is efficiently done. Before the patient undergoes a surgery, he will have to go through a series of examination in order to determine whether he can make it through the surgery or not. This can help the patient decide whether or not to continue the surgery. If the patient will proceed with the surgery, he will be given a list of things to do/to bring prior to the surgery. He must comply with each requirement. The surgery is done in the Operating Room. The types of the heart surgeries include: the Heart Transplant, Coronary Artery Bypass Graft, Minimally Invasive Direct Coronary Artery Bypass, Heart Valve Surgery, Angioplasty/Balloon Angioplasty, and Non-Surgical Treatment Options.

After the surgery, the patient is transferred initially to the Intensive Care Unit, next to the CT Unit, and to the Telemetry Nursing Unit. Each of these sections has its own special function in the recovery of the patient. By the time the patient has fully recovered, he'd be ready to be discharged from the hospital. But prior to the patient's discharge, he will still be given a list of things to do/ medicines to take. All of these are aimed to make sure that the heart surgery process is completed successfully.

Basically, these pointers are the same ones being carried out in the heart surgery procedure. Some hospitals have highly sophisticated equipments for this kind of surgery. At present, heart disease is one of the leading causes of death. Going through a heart surgery doesn't guarantee 100% survival. To avoid having to go through all these, you must start taking good care of your heart today.

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