Posted at 12:14 p.m., Monday, October 6, 2003
Inouye undergoes shoulder surgery
By Vicki Viotti
Advertiser Staff Writer
Hawai'i’s senior senator was admitted last night at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in preparation for today’s partial replacement of his left shoulder, said Inouye spokesman Mike Yuen.
Yuen said Dr. John Xenos, who headed the surgical team, pronounced the operation "a success."
He also had no specific details on the procedure itself, described as being necessary because of the "double duty" performed by the left shoulder throughout the adult life of the 79-year-old Democrat. Inouye lost his right arm in combat during World War II.
The Senate is not in session this week. Xenos has said that hospital rehabilitation will take one to two weeks, with the senator resuming duties within a month and full recovery expected in three months.
Inouye "has told callers not to send flowers of any sort," Yuen said. "If anyone wants to send flowers, send them to (other patients at) Tripler Army Medical Center if they are in Hawai'i, or to Walter Reed."
