What is the procedure that hospitalized Jimmy Carter? A doctor explains
Former President Jimmy Carter is recovering after undergoing a procedure Tuesday morning at Emory University Hospital that relieved pressure in his brain caused by bleeding after a number of recent falls, the Carter Center said in a statement.
According to the statement, there are no complications from the surgery and the 95-year-old will remain in the hospital "as long as advisable" for observation.
"President and Mrs. Carter thanks everyone for the many well-wishes they have received," the statement concluded.
The center also confirmed that Carter was suffering from a subdural hematoma, which is bleeding in between the skull and the brain, according to Dr. Sarel Vorster, a neurosurgeon at the Cleveland Clinic.
Vorster said there are two procedures to relieve this pressure: a burr hole or craniotomy. A burr hole is a hole, or two, in the skull to drain the fluid. It's less invasive than a craniotomy, which is when the skull is opened to remove the blood.
No complications: Jimmy Carter recovering after undergoing surgery to relieve pressure on brain
A subdural hematoma is fairly common in elderly people, according to Vorster, and usually occurs after a fall or bump to the head.
Carter, the oldest living U.S. president, has fallen at least three times this year.
The first incident happened in May when Carter fell at his home in Plains, Georgia, ahead of a turkey hunt. The spill required hip replacement surgery.
On Oct. 6, he hit his head on a sharp edge at his home. The injury required 14 stitches and left him with a bruise left eye, but he still traveled to Nashville, Tennessee, to help build a Habitat for Humanity home shortly thereafter.
Former President Jimmy Carter surgery: What we know about operation to relieve pressure on his brain
Then, he was briefly hospitalized after falling and fracturing his pelvis at his home on Oct. 21.
Vorster said that following his most recent procedure, doctors will likely monitor Carter for the next couple of weeks with continual brain scans. Complications could arise if there's a re-hemorrhage, stroke or if the brain isn't able to expand quick enough.
The neurosurgeon isn't too worried for Carter, but still believes the former president shouldn't be rushing to travel.
"He’s obviously blessed to reach this advance age," Vorster said. "He’s a special human being so I’m sure he has the wherewithal to recover, but he still needs to avoid exertion for a while."
The 39th U.S. president has had his share of health scares throughout his rigorous work nearly four decades after his presidency.
In August 2015, Carter had a small lump removed from his liver discovered during an exam that followed a cold he contracted while monitoring elections in Guyana.
After the procedure, he received a dire cancer diagnosis announcing that melanoma had spread to his liver and brain. He was treated with radiation and immunotherapy, and later said he was cancer-free.
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The former U.S. president has spoken about his close encounter with death while leading Sunday school lessons. Carter said that after he was diagnosed with brain cancer, “I assumed naturally, that I was going to die very quickly.”
“I obviously prayed about it,” he said at the Maranatha Baptist Church shortly after fracturing his pelvis. “I didn’t ask God to let me live, but I just asked God to give me a proper attitude toward death. And I found that I was absolutely and completely at ease with death."
Contributing: Savannah Behrmann, William Cummings and Nicholas Wu, USA TODAY; Associated Press. Follow Adrianna Rodriguez on Twitter: @AdriannaUSAT.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Jimmy Carter at Emory hospital: Doctor explains type of brain surgery
