Comparison of regional anesthesia versus combined regional and general anesthesia for elective carotid endarterectomy: a small exploratory study.

Background And Objectives: This is a small pilot study to compare hemodynamic stability during carotid endarterectomy performed with either regional anesthesia or combined regional/general anesthesia.

Methods: Twenty-eight patients undergoing elective carotid endarterectomy were randomly assigned to: (1) superficial cervical plexus block (n = 14); or (2) superficial cervical plexus block plus general anesthesia (n = 14). The primary outcome measure was hemodynamic stability as indicated by blood pressure changes.