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LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — In an April 23 story about U.S. Sen. John Boozman recovering from heart surgery, The Associated Press reported erroneously that acute aortic dissection typically occurs in three to five people out of every 1,000. The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences said Thursday the rate of occurrence is two to 3.5 per 100,000 people.
A corrected version of the story is below:
US Sen. Boozman recovering from heart surgery
Arkansas US Sen. John Boozman recovering from heart surgery brought on by blood vessel tear
By CHRISTINA HUYNH
Associated Press
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — Arkansas U.S. Senator John Boozman is in stable condition and is still recovering from unexpected heart surgery prompted by a tear in his aorta, his office said Wednesday.
Boozman, 63, was taken by his wife, Cathy, to Mercy Hospital Northwest Arkansas in Rogers overnight on Tuesday for pain in his chest and shoulder, spokesman Patrick Creamer said Wednesday. While on the way to the hospital, Boozman was "alert, responsive and in good spirits despite the discomfort and pain," a statement from his office said.
The hospital would not release the senator's condition, but Creamer said Boozman was in stable condition on Wednesday.
Creamer said he didn't know how long Boozman would be in recovery and added that Boozman would not be attending the events he was scheduled for this week.
The Republican senator's family said in a statement Wednesday that: "We are grateful for the excellent care the doctors, nurses and medical staff are providing. They are amazed at how well he has responded and we are anxious for him to begin the next phase of recovery."
After running several tests, doctors diagnosed Boozman with an acute aortic dissection, a tear in the aorta, a large blood vessel branching off the heart, and performed a surgery that lasted several hours.
Dr. Mohammed Moursi, chief of vascular surgery at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, said that acute aortic dissections can be "very serious" and that the rate of occurrence is in two to 3.5 per 100,000 people. Patients diagnosed with acute aortic dissection are typically in their 60s, he said.
Depending on the type of surgery used to correct the tear, Moursi said a patient's recovery could range between a couple of days to a few weeks.
Boozman and his wife have three daughters and one granddaughter, according to Creamer.
"We know that if John had it his way he would be right back on the road in Arkansas," Boozman's family said in the statement. "So the difficult part will be making sure he gets the rest he needs to get better."
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