The First Lady underwent surgery on Monday morning at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center to treat a “benign kidney condition”
“The procedure was successful and there were no complications,” the White House said in a statement. “Mrs. Trump is at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center and will likely remain there for the duration of the week. The first lady looks forward to a full recovery so she can continue her work on behalf of children everywhere.”
Donald Trump has been watching her even from before the procedure, when he called her and later spoke with the doctor after the procedure was over, making sure everything was okay. In the late afternoon, Trump took the helicopter and visited the first lady in person for about an hour, after which he returned to the White House.
He also managed to let people know that everything is fine via Twitter: “Heading over to Walter Reed Medical Center to see our great First Lady, Melania. Successful procedure, she is in good spirits. Thank you to all of the well-wishers!”
The White House declared that Melania Trump underwent an embolization procedure, which is a medical procedure in which a special spongelike material is placed into an artery that sends blood to the kidney. Furthermore, a thin tube catheter is inserted into a vessel in the leg, as well as into the main vessel feeding the kidney.
This procedure aims to block the blood supply to the kidney and might even be used to stop bleeding from a benign tumor. Moreover, the Johns Hopkins guide also mentions that the procedure can be used to make it easier for a surgeon to remove the kidney.
Vice President Mike Pence mentioned that the First Lady’s procedure was “long-planned”.
“It’s like literally an outpatient procedure,” said Dr. Eleanor D. Lederer, a professor at the University of Louisville School of Medicine and past president of the American Society of Nephrology. “You go in, you have it done, you lie in bed for a while to keep the blood vessel from bleeding and then you go home.”
Source: nytimes.com
