{"id":2770,"date":"2018-02-02T16:52:30","date_gmt":"2018-02-02T16:52:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.osfhealthcare.org\/blog\/?p=2770"},"modified":"2018-04-26T14:44:33","modified_gmt":"2018-04-26T19:44:33","slug":"take-precautions-against-carotid-artery-disease","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/take-precautions-against-carotid-artery-disease\/","title":{"rendered":"Take precautions against carotid artery disease"},"content":{"rendered":"

Kevin Harlan always thought he was relatively healthy. He never smoked, he didn\u2019t have a family history of cardiovascular disease or stroke, he ate a fairly healthy diet and wasn\u2019t reliant on any regular medication.<\/p>\n

At age 63, Kevin didn\u2019t regularly see a primary care provider. Instead, every five years or so, Kevin would undergo screenings that detect early risks for cardiovascular disease and certain types of cancer.<\/p>\n

Screening<\/h2>\n

He had one of those screenings earlier this year, \u201cand the results suggested I might have a problem with my carotid artery, and that I should follow-up with someone,\u201d said Kevin, who is active on numerous civic boards in Peoria, including OSF HealthCare Children\u2019s Hospital of Illinois<\/a>. He is also the vice president and general manager of WMBD\/WYZZ in Peoria.<\/p>\n

Kevin arranged for an appointment with OSF HealthCare Cardiovascular Institute<\/a>, where he underwent a sonogram on his left and right carotid arteries.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe technician studied the right side and said, \u2018Oh, that looks great.\u2019 Then the technician looked at the left side and said, \u2018I\u2019ll be right back.\u2019 \u2026 Three people came back into the room,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Kevin, who was just beginning to grasp the severity of his situation, was told to go to the emergency room immediately, and not to drive himself.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy wife, Mary Kaye, picked me up and we went to the emergency room\u201d at OSF HealthCare Saint Francis Medical Center<\/a>.<\/p>\n

That was February 3, 2017.<\/p>\n

Emergency surgery<\/h2>\n

The following day, James Munns, MD, with OSF HealthCare Cardiovascular Institute told Kevin he had 95 percent blockage in his left carotid artery. He explained that his risk for stroke was high as the carotid arteries are the main blood vessels that carry oxygen to the brain. When these arteries become narrowed due to a buildup of plaque \u2013 also called hardening of the arteries \u2013 it reduces blood flow to the brain and increases the risk of a stroke.<\/p>\n

\u201cDr. Munns said they\u2019d make an incision and clean it out,\u201d Kevin said.<\/p>\n

The next day, Dr. Munns performed a carotid endarterectomy<\/a>, where he made an incision on the side of Kevin\u2019s neck and surgically removed the plaque that had built up inside the artery.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s about opening up the artery, shelling out the obstructing plaque and sewing a patch on so the artery stays open,\u201d Dr. Munns said.<\/p>\n

The recovery time in the hospital is about 24 hours.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd then you go home and pretty much go back to your routine activities,\u201d Dr. Munns said.<\/p>\n

Kevin went home the next day.<\/p>\n

As for the prognosis, Dr. Munns said there needs to be follow-ups to monitor for any redevelopment.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs for prevention, it\u2019s the usual things \u2014 have control of your blood pressure, don\u2019t smoke and exercise regularly,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Lifestyle changes<\/h2>\n

Kevin and his wife now eat predominantly salads with some fish and chicken, except for an occasional hamburger on Saturday date nights. He\u2019s lost weight and is on medicine to keep his blood pressure down.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt only takes one life-threatening event to get my attention,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Pleased with his care and his outcome, Kevin advises others to not put off preventive check-ups \u201cso you\u2019re not rushed to the hospital like I was.\u201d<\/p>\n

Today he\u2019s back to his regular, active life \u2013 working about 65 hours a week operating the two television stations, in addition to his side job \u2013 designing and creating percussion instruments for use by symphonies around the world.<\/p>\n

His tambourine, the Harlan Tambourine, is made with a strong, yet light hardwood frame, goat skin head and generously sized brass, bronze or German Silver jingles for greater control of tone and volume. It is used by groups such as the New York Philharmonic, the London Symphony, The Joffrey Ballet and the Singapore Symphony to name a few.<\/p>\n

The tambourines occupy Kevin in his workshop on Saturday mornings and those times when he doesn\u2019t have to think about television.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s my golf,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Kevin Harlan always thought he was relatively healthy. He never smoked, he didn\u2019t have a family history of cardiovascular disease or stroke, he ate a fairly healthy diet and wasn\u2019t reliant on any regular medication. At age 63, Kevin didn\u2019t regularly see a primary care provider. Instead, every five years or so, Kevin would undergo […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":33,"featured_media":2772,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[105,223],"tags":[655],"coauthors":[688],"class_list":["post-2770","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cardiovascular","category-patient-story","tag-osf-cardiovascular-institute"],"yoast_head":"\nTake precautions against carotid artery disease<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Kevin Harlan always thought he was relatively healthy, but a routine screening unearthed carotid artery blockage that threatened his life.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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