Washington — Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was hospitalized to treat an infection that was related to earlier surgery for prostate cancer, his doctors said in a statement released by the Pentagon on Tuesday.
The prostate cancer was detected early last month and Austin underwent a “minimally invasive procedure” on Dec. 22 to treat and cure the cancer, according to the officials. He was placed under general anesthesia and “recovered uneventfully” from the surgery, the statement said. The cancer “was detected early, and his prognosis is excellent,” the officials said.
Officials did not provide further details on the specifics of the procedure. CBS News chief medical correspondent Dr. Jonathan LaPook noted, “When you take out the entire prostate, it is a major operation,” despite the Pentagon and officials from Walter Reed calling the procedure “elective” and “minimally invasive.”
While at home on Jan. 1, Austin began experiencing “nausea with severe abdominal, hip, and leg pain” and was readmitted to Walter Reed, according to the statement. He was found to have a urinary tract infection and was transferred to the ICU the next day, where further testing revealed abdominal fluid that was obstructing his small intestine. Doctors placed a tube through his nose to drain his stomach.
LaPook said Austin’s complications were “unusual.”
“Usually these surgeries, they are big operations, but people recover very well and generally without any kind of a complication like this,” LaPook added.
Austin’s doctors said he “has progressed steadily throughout his stay. His infection has cleared. He continues to make progress and we anticipate a full recovery although this can be a slow process. During this stay, Secretary Austin never lost consciousness and never underwent general anesthesia.”
