Jesse Helms was fitted with a pig's valve in 1992. See story below.
Jesse Helms was fitted with a pig's valve in 1992. See story below.
Veteran Sen. Helms Set to Have Heart Surgery
Wed Apr 24, 8:39 AM ET
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Veteran North Carolina Sen. Jesse Helms is expected to have heart surgery this week to replace an artificial valve installed nearly a decade ago, his spokesman said on Wednesday.
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Helms, a conservative Republican, was admitted on Monday to the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, after complaining of feeling very tired, said his Chief of Staff Jimmy Broughton.
"He is having one more test today which will yield more information before he has his mitral valve replaced," said Broughton.
The pig's valve fitted on the left side of his heart has a life expectancy of 10 years and was installed in June 1992.
Broughton said he spoke to the 80-year-old senator late on Tuesday and he was feeling "very chipper and alert."
"He was asking about the Senate and telling me a few things about the Senate that he had heard from calling around," he said.
Helms, who is well known for his work on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and his vehement opposition to Cuban President Fidel Castro (news - web sites), said last year that his fifth term would be his last and he would retire in January 2003.
In recent years, he has suffered several health problems, including a serious bout of pneumonia in October 2000 and knee replacement surgery.
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Christina
Congenital Aortic Stenosis
AVR's 8/7/00 & 8/18/00
St.Jude's Mechanical