What happens later at home?

Most people will have a sore neck where the muscles were cut for a few weeks. This usually can be relieved with heat and pain medication. Most people function well after returning home. The surgeon provides specific wound care instructions before sending the person home.

What are the potential complications after the procedure?

Complications from a carotid endarterectomy vary from mild to major. Some people have muscle tenderness and mild bleeding. Also, a person may have bruising or bleeding into the neck tissues from the use of the blood-thinning medication. This is usually not serious and goes away by itself.

Occasionally, there may be nerve damage to 1 of the nerves in the neck or face, which may cause permanent muscle weakness. About 1% of the people who have a carotid endarterectomy will have a stroke around the time of the surgery. This risk is higher among people who were having symptoms before surgery. Infection and allergic reactions to anesthesia may occur. Intracerebral hemorrhage, or bleeding in the brain, is an infrequent but serious complication. Rarely, the person may have a heart attack or even die after an endarterectomy.