At 9:29am emergency services were called to the palace. Three hours later the Cour Grand-Ducale issued a very brief statement indicating that The Grand Duke had been hospitalized but was stable.
This afternoon,
it was announced that a
balloon angioplasty was preformed on The Grand Duke. The procedure was preformed at
l’Institut National de Chirurgie Cardiaque et de Cardiologie Interventionnelle, with the support of the Centre Hospitalier de Luxembourg.
The Cour Grand-Ducale emphasized that The Grand Duke is very healthy and will be leaving the hospital soon. He has
not been released from the hospital, contrary to earlier reports.
Some of the initial reports imply that The Grand Duke was simply feeling a little unwell. The Luxembourgish tabloid
Privat obtained
a document that indicated that The Grand Duke had, in fact,
suffered a cardiac arrest. I am
not a medical expert but it seems more likely, given his procedure, that he suffered an
angina. This is a serious
condition, but much less worrying than a cardiac arrest.
Basic research on
balloon angioplasty implies that The Grand Duke should remain hospitalized for 2-3 days. If he received a stent he will need to be on light physical duty with increased rest, for 30 days. If he did not receive a stent he could resume his regular physical activity after a week of rest. However, medication and lifestyle alteration are necessary to prevent the condition that necessitated the procedure from worsening. All of the diseases that would necessitate
angioplasty are rather serious.
I sincerely hope that The Grand Duke and his family make all of the necessary changes and continue to seek appropriate health care. I love Guillaume but I am certainly not interested in seeing him become Grand Duke - any time soon. Best wishes for a continued medical success and a speedy recovery!!
If you are curious about angioplasty you may visit the links I have provided below. The Pre-Op link provides an animated video of the procedure, which may alternately be preformed via the wrist.
Sources:
Wort, RTL, Privat, Privat, Tageblatt, Press Release.
Information on angioplasty:
eHealth,
Texas Heart Institute,
HeartSite,
Medicine Net,
Pre-Op