Though there is presently no national Yaz class action lawsuit filed, claims are being made individually and are being consolidated in a multi-district litigation. Yaz has been linked to a risk of stroke, and could be a danger to potentially millions of healthy women. Estrogen and drospirenone are hormones used in this birth control pill, and are known to increase the risk of abnormal blood clots. The blood clots can be detrimental to your health because they could travel through your bloodstream and lodge within major arteries. If a clot, medically termed a thrombus, lodges into a carotid artery, it could lead to a stroke.

According to the National Institute Of  Neurological Disorder and Stroke (NINDS), over 700,000 people are affected by this condition, and within a year nearly 1 in 5 people in the U.S. die. Millions of stroke survivors cope with permanent disabilities.

A stroke is a medical emergency that requires immediate medical attention in order to reduce long term damage. In situations where anticoagulants and thrombotic medications failed to improve the patient's condition, carotid endarterectomy may be done. It is an invasive surgical procedure that has its own set of potential risks.

Carotid Endarterectomy, And How It's Performed

The ideal entry location to the blocked carotid artery is the back of the neck. The area is shaved and cleaned before any incision (called a arteriotomy) is made by a physician. A general anesthesia could be administered to put you to sleep, but generally the doctor will administer a local anesthetic to numb the entry site and allow you to stay awake during the procedure. This allows the surgeon to observe how your brain reacts to the reduced supply of blood and oxygen, and is far safer than being completely knocked out.

Once the incision is made into the neck all other blood vessels, tissues and nerves are moved aside to expose the affected carotid artery. Clamps are placed on the artery in order to temporarily stop blood flow before an incision can be made. A shunt can be utilized, by your physician, in order to redirect the flow of blood during the procedure if need be. Even without a shunt your brain will continue to receive blood from the unaffected carotid artery.

Once the clamps are in place, and the bloodstream is blocked the physician will make an incision into the artery, where the clot is located. In many cases plaque and fatty deposits have formed along the arterial wall, and will need to be removed by the doctor along with the thrombus.

After the clamp and shunt are removed, the doctor will ensure there is no bleeding. The entry site is then closed and bandaged. Without complications the entire procedure should not take longer than two hours to complete.

Possible Risks Of Carotid Endarterectomy

The most dangerous risk associated with carotid endarterectomy is the possibility of the onset of another stroke. There are usually many clots (thrombi) within a carotid artery. There is a possibility that once one obstruction is removed by a physician it could cause other  thrombi could break off from the blood vessel's lining. If this does occur the clot could travel deeply toward the brain and form another larger blockage that could lead to a subsequent stroke.

Another danger involves the nerves located near the incision site and the site of the arteriotomy. These nerves could be injured during the procedure, and could lead to temporary dysfunction or impairment that could lead to difficulty swallowing or speaking. However, these problems tend to dissipate within three to four weeks.

Your physician may recommend carotid endarterectomy if plaque is present in your carotid arteries and there is evidence of a blood clots onset by Yaz within other blood vessels. In these cases even a small thrombus can migrate to the artery and could inhibit the flow of blood to your brain. By removing the plaque and fatty deposits your physician decreases the potential onset of a Yaz related stroke.

If you had your gallbladder removed, had previous blood clots, suffered a stroke or any other Yaz side effects after taking the oral contraceptive you should find out your legal rights. Contact a Yaz lawsuit attorney to discuss your options.