FG Arroyo surgery for 'aortic aneurysm' done, now resting

Doctors at the St. Luke's Medical Center in Quezon City on Tuesday said First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo was in stable condition, after undergoing a "very high-risk" heart surgery for "dissecting aortic aneurysm." Radio dzBB said Arroyo’s lawyer Ruy Rondain announced that at 3:30 a.m. the operation was over. While Rondain did not elaborate, he said Atty. Arroyo was resting in the hospital’s recovery room. Arroyo's doctors issued the following medical bulletin Monday evening: "MEDICAL BULLETIN: THE FIRST GENTLEMAN MR JOSE MIGUEL T ARROYO WAS RUSHED TO A HOSPITAL IN BAGUIO YESTERDAY AFTER EXPERIENCING SEVERE ABDOMINAL PAIN WHICH INITIALLY PRESENTED AS CHEST PAIN. "WITH HIS HISTORY OF PREVIOUS CORONARY ARTERY DISEASE FOR WHICH HE UNDERWENT ANGIOPLASTY IN DEC 2006 THE DOCTORS IN BAGUIO EVALUATED THE HEART, WHICH WAS FOUND TO BE STABLE. "INITIAL TESTS WERE DONE IN BAGUIO WITH A DISCHARGE DIAGNOSIS OF GASTRITIS. "WITH THE PERSISTENCE OF THE ABDOMINAL PAIN RADIATING IN THE UPPER BACK , HE THEN WAS TRANSFERRED TO ST LUKE’S MEDICAL CENTER. "EXTENSIVE WORK-UPS WERE DONE AND WE EVENTUALLY DIAGNOSED HIM TO HAVE A DISSECTING AORTIC ANEURYSM. HE IS NOW CURRENTLY UNDERGOING VERY HIGH-RISK SURGERY. "THE FIRST FAMILY REQUESTS YOUR PRAYERS DURING THIS DIFFICULT TIME." Dr. Rommel Cariño, one of those who operated on Atty. Arroyo, had told reporters at 2 a.m. that President Arroyo was in the operating room but was pacing the floor. With her were children Rep. Juan Miguel Arroyo, Lourdes Arroyo and brother-in-law Rep. Ignacio Arroyo. Also with Mrs. Arroyo were Environment Secretary Angelo Reyes, his undersecretary Roy Kyamko, and Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap, Presidential Management Staff head Cerge Remonde and Trade Secretary Peter Favila. None of the officials granted media requests for interviews. Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita also evaded the media by using an alternate route leading outside the hospital, the dzBB report said. Cariño, a cardiovascular and thorasic surgeon, and cardiologist Antonio Sibulo Jr. are among Atty. Arroyo's attending physicians. Arroyo last night underwent an eight- to ten-hour “very high risk surgery" to repair his heart’s main artery. Dr. Juliet Gopez-Cervantes, Arroyo’s main attending physician at St. Luke’s hospital, had said the First Gentleman was found to be suffering from “dissecting aortic aneurysm," which involves the largest blood vessel carrying blood away from his heart. She said doctors “could not give the rate of survival yet" and that the First Family is asking for prayers. The operation started at past 7 p.m. The First Gentleman was rushed to the St. Louis University Hospital in Baguio City Sunday night after experiencing severe abdominal pain, which was initially diagnosed as chest pain. Doctors later said it was chronic gastritis. But Cervantes said the persistence of pain and a workup showed that he had dissecting aortic aneurysm. She said doctors “weren’t able to pinpoint it before" because the condition developed quickly. She said hypertension was the main cause of his condition.- GMANews.TV