I just learned that John Larson, the fourth highest ranking democrat in the House of Representatives, underwent elective heart valve replacement surgery yesterday. Larson, 61, had known about his valvular disorder for at least two years when he was diagnosed during a routine physical.

John Larson was resting comfortably after a successful aortic valve replacement procedure ^[1] and is expected to make a full recovery, said Barry Feldman, a personal spokesman for the congressman. Larson suffered from a congenital defect to an aortic valve which caused aortic stenosis, the narrowing of that valve ^[2].

Representative John Larson (Connecticut)

Without surgery, the valve would eventually have become clogged, stopping the flow of blood, Feldman said. Given these statements it seems that Larson’s diagnosis may have progressed from moderate to severe aortic stenosis ^[3] quickly.

“The congressman was in perfect health,” Dr. Diver said. “In the modern era, we take this step prior to it causing any problems with the heart muscle or cardiac function, as we did here.” The surgery was performed by Dr. William Martinez, a cardiac surgeon, in just under 2 1/2 hours, Diver said.

Larson decided to have the surgery about a month ago, but decided to keep the news from the media before surgery to preserve his privacy, Feldman said. Larson is expected to be released from the hospital in four or five days ^[4] and plans to be back on the job in September when Congress reconvenes.

Feldman said Larson was confident having the surgery at Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center, despite recent problems with the hospital’s cardiac program. The hospital voluntarily suspended elective heart procedures for a week last month while the state Department of Public Health investigated the maintenance records of heart-and-lung machines ^[5] in the operating room. Saint Francis performs about 1,000 open heart surgeries a year, including about 300 valve replacements, said Diver, who is the hospital’s chief of cardiology.

Keep on tickin’ Representative Larson!

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