Combined Carotid Endarterectomy and Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting Does Not Increase the Risk of Perioperative Stroke

Patients who present for coronary artery bypass grafting with hemodynamically significant carotid artery lesions pose a difficult problem for both the cardiac and vascular surgeons. There is no consensus as to the proper management of these patients despite numerous studies. Prospective collection of data was performed in patients undergoing combined carotid endarterectomy and coronary artery bypass grafting's from April 1980 to November 1996. A total of 470 simultaneous carotid endarterectomy's and coronary artery bypass grafting's were performed in 420 patients. The average age of the patient was 69 years, with 62% being male, 15% being diabetic and 38% being smokers. Sixty (13%) presented with Transient ischemic attacks, 22 (5%) presented with amaurosis fugax, 16 (3.4%) presented with a prior history of stroke and 372 (70%) were asymptomatic. Operative mortality was 2.4% or 10 patients; 90% of those patients died from cardiac complications postoperatively and one patient died of a stroke. Permanent neurological deficits occurred in five (1%) of the patients, and six (1.7%) of the patients had a transient neurological deficit that improved prior to discharge. In conclusion, in our experience simultaneous carotid endarterectomy with coronary artery bypass grafting can be performed with an acceptable mortality and morbidity and does not appear to put the patient at a higher risk than when either procedure is performed alone.