Former New York Mayor David Dinkins joined the growing list of public figures requiring heart valve surgery. According to reports, Mayor Dinkins is recovering in a Manhattan hospital following valve replacement surgery.

David Dinkins, New York’s first African-American mayor, is a cardiac patient at New York Presbyterian Weill-Cornell Medical Center.

Dinkins’ law partner, Peter Johnson, says the former mayor had a new heart valve installed and will likely remain at the hospital another 10 to 12 days.

Johnson says, “the surgery went extremely well and his doctors are happy with the outcome.” He adds the heart surgery had been planned and Dinkins is eager to “get back on the tennis courts.” Earlier this year, doctors at the same hospital installed a pacemaker to regulate the 81-year-old’s heartbeat.

David Dinkins, a democrat, served a four-year-term as mayor from 1990 to 1993, when he was succeeded by Republican Rudy Giuliani.

Other political figures to have heart valve surgery included Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and the late Senator Jesse Helms.

Keep on tickin’ Mayor Dinkins!

About The Author: Adam Pick is a double, heart valve surgery patient and author of The Patient’s Guide To Heart Valve Surgery, a unique book which integrates the clinical facts of heart valve surgery with the personal experiences of 78 former valve surgery patients. [1] To learn more about Adam and his heart valve surgery book, click here.