Boozman recovering after surgery for aortic tear, official says

U.S. Sen. John Boozman's office says the Republican senator remains hospitalized after undergoing an unexpected heart surgery for a tear in his aorta.

His office said Wednesday that Boozman was taken by his wife Cathy to Mercy Hospital Northwest Arkansas in Rogers overnight Tuesday for pain in the senator's chest and shoulder. Boozman spokesman Patrick Creamer says the senator was diagnosed with an acute aortic dissection, which is a tear in a large blood vessel branching off the heart.

Creamer says the 63-year-old Boozman responded well to the surgery, which lasted several hours. The senator remains hospitalized but has been awake and met with his family.

Creamer says he doesn't know how long Boozman will be in recovery.

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John Boozman.

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