Patients Undergoing Cardiac Surgery with Asymptomatic Unilateral Carotid Stenoses have a Low Risk of Peri-operative Stroke

BackgroundThere is considerable controversy regarding the optimal management of patients undergoing cardiac surgery who are found to have an asymptomatic, unilateral carotid artery stenosis. Prior to 2004, the policy of this Unit was to perform a synchronous cardiac and carotid revascularisation. After January 2004, the policy was changed and patients underwent their cardiac procedure without carotid revascularisation. The aim of this study was to audit the incidence of stroke in the peri-operative period following this change in practice.MethodsFive-year audit of the 30-day risk of stroke after 61 consecutive open cardiac procedures in patients with unilateral, asymptomatic 70–99% (NASCET) stenoses who did not undergo prophylactic carotid endarterectomy.Results61 cardiac procedures; coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) = 44, valve replacement = 6, CABG + valve replacement = 9, CABG + repair of left ventricular aneurysm = 2 were undertaken and the 30-day outcomes audited. There were three deaths (4.9%), all due to myocardial infarction. No strokes occurred in any patient in the 30-day post-operative period.ConclusionThese results challenge the opinion that the presence of a unilateral, asymptomatic carotid stenosis in patients undergoing open cardiac surgery is associated with an increased risk of peri-operative stroke, sufficient to warrant routine prophylactic carotid revascularisation.