Question

A nurse is caring for a client who will undergo an endarterectomy due to severe peripheral vascular disease (PVD). When reviewing this procedure with the client, which statement will the nurse include?

1) This procedure re-routes blood flow around your occluded vessel.
2) The plaque from your occluded vessel will be removed by heat.
3) This is considered a nonsurgical procedure that treats your occluded vessel.
4) The plaque from your occluded vessel will be surgically removed.

Answer 1

The nurse will include the statement that the plaque from the occluded vessel will be surgically removed in an endarterectomy.

Step-by-step explanation:

The nurse will include the statement: The plaque from your occluded vessel will be surgically removed. An endarterectomy is a surgical procedure that involves the removal of a plaque (a fatty substance) from the walls of a blood vessel. This procedure is commonly performed on carotid arteries in the neck to improve blood flow to the brain. It is not a nonsurgical procedure, and it does involve the surgical removal of plaque.

When reviewing the endarterectomy procedure with a client who has severe peripheral vascular disease (PVD), the nurse should include the statement: "The plaque from your occluded vessel will be surgically removed." During an endarterectomy, plaque is surgically extracted from the walls of the target vessel, which is a different procedure than angioplasty where a balloon is inflated to widen the vessel or a coronary bypass where a graft is used to reroute blood flow.