TCAR is a procedure that allows your doctor to treat a narrowed carotid artery while reducing your risk of stroke. This procedure temporarily reverses the blood flow from the artery away from your brain, protecting it from plaque becoming loose and causing a stroke during the repair. Other vessels in your body will supply a sufficient amount of blood to your brain during the procedure.

How it works:

A small incision is made just above your collar bone to expose the common carotid artery. A soft, flexible sheath is placed directly into the vessel and connected to a system that will reverse the flow of blood away from the brain to protect against fragments of plaque that may come loose during the procedure, reducing your risk of stroke. Your blood is filtered and returned through a second sheath placed in the femoral vein in your thigh. Your surgeon will perform a balloon angioplasty and/or place a stent to improve the blood flow to your brain and stabilize the plaque in your carotid artery. After the procedure is complete, the system is turned off and blood flow resumes in its normal direction.