ROANOKE, Va. – A new procedure is reducing the risk of strokes and shortening recovery time for Carilion Clinic patients. It's called transcarotid artery revascularization, or TCAR.
"The thing that makes this new procedure so safe is the fact that we reverse the flow of blood through the artery with the blockage while we're doing the procedure," said Dr. Joshua Adams, with the Carilion Clinic Aortic Center.
TCAR is ideal for surgical candidates at high risk for stroke during surgery. Eight in every 10 strokes are a result of clogged arteries that interact with the brain.
This procedure is quite new to the region. So far, Dr. Adams has performed two procedures -- the first on Bedford County resident Randall Sink.
"I know that with my experience and the results from this surgery, that the job got done and I didn't have any repercussions about it," said Sink.
After multiple surgeries, Sink says he was ready and willing to try TCAR because it was minimally invasive and the recovery time was much shorter. Now about a month after his procedure, he's a walking advocate for it.
"I didn't have any pain, honestly I didn't," said Sink.
Both Sink and Dr. Adams are hopeful that TCAR is the start of a new trend: safer and less invasive surgeries that still, as Sink says, get the job done.
"Dr. Adams is one of God's angels. He's put here for a reason," said Sink.
Dr. Adams has two more procedures coming up in the next few weeks.
To learn more about TCAR, click here.