WASHINGTON - U.S. Sen. John Boozman was removed from intensive care at a hospital in Rogers and is walking with help, his office announced Thursday. He was moved to a private recovery room Thursday.
The 63-year-old Rogers Republican underwent emergency heart surgery at Mercy Hospital in Rogers on Tuesday after being diagnosed with acute aortic dissection.
That is a tear in the inner wall of an aorta, the large blood vessel branching off the heart, according to the Mayo Clinic. The condition is uncommon and occurs most frequently in men between ages 60 and 70. Symptoms are similar to a heart attack and the chances of survival increase greatly if it is caught and treated quickly, according to the clinic.
Boozman has been in stable condition since the surgery, and the senator is now walking with the help of medical staff, Boozman’s spokesman Patrick Creamer said.
“That’s one of the milestones you need to meet for discharge,” Creamer said.
Boozman has to reach other benchmarks, including increased lung capacity, before he can be released, Creamer said.
“It’s always different depending on how the individual responds,” Creamer said.
Boozman was taken to the hospital early Tuesday morning by his wife, Cathy, after suffering pain in his chest and shoulder. During the trip to the hospital he was alert, responsive and in good spirits despite the pain, according to a news release from his office.
Doctors ran several tests and admitted him for immediate surgery.
The average hospital stay after an aortic dissection is seven to 10 days, according to the International Registry of Acute Aortic Dissection, a consortium of medical research centers funded by the University of Michigan Health System. Recovery is often marked by months of fatigue, years of closely monitoring blood-pressure levels and limits on physical activity.
Staff members of the U.S. Senate parliamentarian’s office said Senate rules don’t require senators to give up their seats or take a formal leave of absence if they have to be away from Washington for an extended period of time.
Some committees allow senators to vote by proxy without being present, but a senator has to physically be in the chamber to cast a vote. Senators also have to be present to file legislation.
Boozman was elected to the Senate in 2010. He won a special election in 2001 to serve in the U.S. House. Boozman, an optometrist, previously helped run an eye clinic in Rogers with his brother.
Arkansas, Pages 10 on 04/25/2014