E-mail Story
Print Friendly
Send E-mail
Reprint story
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Domenici Gets Shoulder Replaced
By Michael Coleman
Journal Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON — Former Sen. Pete Domenici had shoulder replacement surgery in Baltimore on Monday and is expected to spend the next two days recovering in the hospital.
The New Mexico Republican, who served 36 years in the U.S. Senate before retiring in January, underwent a reverse shoulder replacement at Johns Hopkins Hospital.
Domenici, 77, has suffered from nerve damage and arthritis in his right arm for almost a decade. He was also diagnosed with a degenerative brain disease in 2007 that led to his retirement this year.
According to the Johns Hopkins Web site, reverse shoulder replacements promise excellent results for most patients. The procedure is typically done on elderly people with advanced arthritis and damage to their rotator cuffs. According to the Web site, the reverse shoulder replacement requires replacement of key shoulder structures but reverses the positions of the ball-and-socket elements at the upper end of the arm in a way that enhances the joint's stability and range of motion.
"It's kind of revolutionized the way we treat these (patients)," Ed McFarland, a doctor specializing in the procedure at the Baltimore hospital, said in a 2008 statement about the general procedure on the Johns Hopkins Web site. "Ninety-nine percent of our patients get pain relief and say they wish they'd done it sooner."
Domenici's former chief of staff, Steve Bell, told the Journal on Monday that Domenici will be in the hospital for at least two days before returning home to his Capitol Hill in Washington, where he will begin rehabilitation of his shoulder.
Domenici and Bell both are now employed by the Bipartisan Policy Center, a centrist think tank in Washington.
You also can send comments via our comment form
|
|
