Ex Argentine president Kirchner undergoes emergency angioplasty

Sunday, September 12th 2010 - 06:39 UTC

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This is the second vascular accident the former president suffers in seven months

Former Argentine President Nestor Kirchner is back in the Los Arcos hospital with heart trouble. There were no immediate announcements from the government, but according to the local Noticias Argentinas news agency, the husband of President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner Fernandez underwent an angioplasty after he was rushed to a clinic in the capital late Saturday night with numbness in his legs.

Kirchner went to the same clinic for emergency surgery last February to remove plaque from his right carotid artery. Carotid artery disease involves the narrowing of the main arteries that carry blood from the heart to the brain. These arteries can thicken with fatty substances and deposits of cholesterol known as plaque, slowing the flow of oxygenated blood to the brain and increasing the risk of a stroke.

Kirchner had that surgery after having trouble moving his arm, said Dr. Victor Caramutti, who performed the operation and said Kirchner emerged in perfect condition.

The former president is scheduled to remain in hospital under intensive care over night. He is accompanied by his wife President Cristina Kirchner and other family members at the fifth floor of the building according to local news agencies.

Kirchner, who will turn 60 in February, is a congressman, president of the ruling party, was recently chosen as president of the Unasur group of South American nations, and has all but declared that either he or his wife will run for again president in 2011.