I am happy the King did qualify for it. At his age I can't imagine him recovering very easily from what I went thru.
I don't know but it sounds like the King had a
transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) or similar . Previously valve replacement involved full anaesthetic, a large incision in the chest and opening of the rib cage and bypass where the heart was stopped. This was a highly invasive procedure with a long recovery time. Transcathetsr procedures involve a wire being passed through a large vein in the groin, through the system of veins to the heart. The artificial valve is passed through the wire to the heart. The patient is usually awake. Much less invasive and patient is up and walking the same day.
Apparently the procedure to replace an artificial valve is rather simpler than replacing the original one.
The court has released a statement saying the operation went well. The King was awake during the operation, which was performed with localized anesthesia.
Crown Prince Haakon will be regent for several weeks.
An update in English:
https://www.royalcourt.no/artikkel.html?tid=185421&sek=113027
I had a valve replaced a little over a year ago. It is quite major surgery with a lengthy recover time. I was in hospital and then a rehabilitation facility for a total of 7 weeks, and restricted to light activity at home another 4 weeks after that.
Not strange but with some risk as it sounds like an operation that will require full anaesthesia and that comes with risks for all of us and certainly for someone in his 80's. I'll feel a lot better if we get the news that the operation went well and he is from the intensive care unit.
King Harald of Norway is to undergo heart surgery this Friday. He was given a artificial heart valve in 2005, and those last for 10-15 years, so there is nothing strange that they might need to be replaced, according to the Royal Court.
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