Free Republic

Researchers have discovered a promising approach for reducing brain injury risk in patients undergoing carotid artery stenting (CAS). CAS is a procedure commonly performed in elderly patients with blockages in the carotid arteries, which supply blood to the brain. It carries the risk of cerebral hyperperfusion syndrome, a serious complication where sudden blood flow to the brain leads to injury or even death. The study assessed the effect of the sedative dexmedetomidine (Dex) on patients undergoing CAS. It found that only 11% of patients receiving Dex developed cerebral hyperperfusion, compared to 38% in a placebo group. Only 3% of patients...

We breathe, eat and drink tiny particles of plastic. But are these minuscule specks in the body harmless, dangerous or somewhere in between? A small study published Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine raises more questions than it answers about how these bits—microplastics and the smaller nanoplastics—might affect the heart. The study involved 257 people who had surgery to clear blocked blood vessels in their necks. Italian researchers analyzed the fatty buildup that the surgeons removed from the carotid arteries, which supply blood and oxygen to the brain. Using two methods, they found evidence of plastics—mostly invisible nanoplastics—in...

Patients with a specific form of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a leading cause of blindness, are also highly likely to have either underlying heart damage from heart failure and heart attacks, or advanced heart valve disease, or carotid artery disease associated with certain types of strokes, according to a study. This research, is the first to identify which types of high-risk cardiovascular and carotid artery disease are linked to the eye disorder. "We have been able to connect these specific high-risk cardiovascular diseases to a specific form of AMD, the one with subretinal drusenoid deposits (SDDs)," explains R. Theodore Smith,...

Carotid artery disease occurs when fatty deposits (plaques) clog the blood vessels that deliver blood to your brain and head (carotid arteries). The blockage increases your risk of stroke, a medical emergency that occurs when the blood supply to the brain is interrupted or seriously reduced. Stroke deprives your brain of oxygen. Within minutes, brain cells begin to die. Stroke is the most common cause of death and the leading cause of permanent disability in the U.S.

Patients who have blocked carotid arteries, the major source of blood flow to the brain, even if there are no symptoms, experience significant improvements in intellectual functioning after they undergo surgery to correct this problem, investigators reported Friday at the Society of Interventional Radiology's annual meeting in Toronto. In fact, younger patients and those who have not had a stroke appear to experience the most benefit from the procedure. Carotid stenting involves placement a "stent," a device use to prop open the blocked vessels. Strokes can occur when plaques that have formed in the carotid arteries, which lie on each...