Kanjorski Recovering from Triple Bypass

WASHINGTON — Congressman Paul Kanjorski (D-Pa.), a longtime credit union friend who recently re-introduced the Credit Union Regulatory Improvements Act, is recovering from triple bypass surgery. “Congressman Kanjorski is recovering well,” Dr. Lawrence Cohn of Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, Mass., who performed the surgery, said. “There were no complications. We expect to keep him in the intensive care unit for the next day or so, and we have every expectation that he will recover fully and will have improved cardiac performance.” The operation was routinely scheduled to bypass blockages of three blood vessels around his heart and was not the result of a heart attack, according to Kanjorski’s office. The blockages were discovered during an annual physical exam, including an electrocardiogram, Feb. 12 by the Office of the Attending Physician at the U.S. Capitol. A follow up stress test was performed at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., on Feb. 26. The congressman then underwent a cardiac catheterization on March 2, which indicated that coronary heart disease had caused significant narrowing of three arteries feeding the heart. Although Kanjorski does have diabetes, Dr. Michael Curran, a cardiologist at the National Naval Medical Center, did not expect this condition to significantly impact his recovery because he follows his diet and medicine regime. Kanjorski is expected to spend about a week at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. According to Dr. Curran, he should be able to return to work by mid-April, following the congressional spring recess.