Abstract

Carotid artery blow out is a dreaded complication in the postoperative setting of head and neck oncological surgeries. It is an emergency situation which requires immediate highly guarded decisions to explore and ligate are made in short spell of time keeping the fact of high mortality rate and neurological complications. In our institution, we encountered 4 patients with carotid blow out which tested our skill and efficiency in managing them. Each of these cases are unique in their own way of management. The decisions made and the management plan are highly in accordance with the state of the patient’s condition, stage of disease, time of presentation, the skill and experience of surgeon and the resources available in our institution.

Keywords: Carotid blow out; Head and neck malignancies; Carotid artery repair