Deborah Heart and Lung Center’s Vascular Surgery team recently performed the Hospital’s first two TransCarotid Artery Revascularizations (TCAR), making it one of a very select group of hospitals in the region capable of doing this highly-specialized surgical procedure.

TCAR is an advanced technique designed for high risk patients whose carotid arteries are blocked, and who are unable to tolerate a surgical endarterectomy. With traditional carotid endarterectomy, surgery is performed to remove plaque from the artery that supplies blood to the brain.

TCAR offers a new approach for patients who are too high risk for this traditional surgical procedure.

During TCAR, the vascular surgeons at Deborah inserted a tube into the carotid artery reversing the blood flow from the brain. During the process any plaque that is captured is filtered out, and the filtered blood is sent back to the patient through the vein in the groin. Then the surgeons can clear out the plaque and place a stent in the carotid artery to prop it open, after which the blood flow is reversed back to the brain again.

Although this is a complex procedure, the minimally-invasive approach reduces the risk of stroke, complications, and recovery time.

According to Kane Chang, MD, Chief of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery at Deborah, TransCarotid Artery Revascularizations offers hope to many new candidates who previously could not be considered for carotid stenting or traditional carotid surgery.

“There are many patients who are at risk for a traditional carotid endarterectomy,” said Dr. Chang. “This could be because of their age, or another medical condition, or sometimes their anatomy. By reversing the blood flow from their brain, and removing the loose plaque, we are greatly reducing the patient’s risk of having a stroke during the procedure.”

Dr. Chang added that Deborah performed two TCAR procedures. “Both patients recovered without event and were discharged home the following day. This is a significant achievement for high risk patients with carotid stenosis.”