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Carotid endarterectomy in high-risk Arab patients

Department of Vascular Surgery, King Faisal University, P.O. Box 40081, Al-Khobar 31952, Eastern Province, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

*Corresponding author. Tel.: +966-50-1852057; fax: +966-3-8966728.

E-mail address: elsharawya{at}yahoo.co.uk (M.A. Elsharawy).

Objective: Carotid artery angioplasty and stenting (CAS) has developed quickly and has started to replace carotid endarterectomy (CE) in high-risk cases. However, there are conflicting reports about the results of CAS in such cases. The current study was undertaken to assess the results of CE in high-risk Arab patients over two years at a single center. Patients and methods: The study was performed on all Arab patients referred to King Fahd Hospital of the University for CE with high risk for surgery from August 2004 to August 2006. High-risk factors were recorded. The primary end points were the occurrence of stroke, myocardial infarction and death in the first 30 postoperative days and in follow-up for one year. Results: Thirty-one CE procedures were performed in 29 high-risk Arab patients. Twenty-five patients had severe ischemic heart disease and were prepared for coronary artery bypass grafting. One patient (3%) had preoperative cardiac arrest and after resuscitation developed stroke. One patient died (3%) suddenly nine months after surgery. No recurrence or stroke was recorded over a one-year follow-up period. Conclusion: This short report showed that CE can be performed safely in high-risk Arab patients.

Key Words: Carotid endarterectomy; High-risk Arab patients; Stroke