The latest update on St. Louis Blues defenseman Jay Bouwmeester is that he has undergone a procedure to place an Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator in his chest to prevent him from going into cardiac arrest again.
Here is the organization's official release from Friday morning:
St. Louis Blues President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Doug Armstrong announced this morning that defenseman Jay Bouwmeester has undergone a successful Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator (ICD) procedure at UC Irvine Medical Center in Anaheim.
The procedure, which restores the heart's normal rhythm, was performed by the cardiology team of the UCI Cardiology Department, headed by Chief Cardiologist Dr. Pranav M. Patel.
Currently, Bouwmeester is under the care of Dr. Patel as well as an expert team of UCI Electrophysiologists, including Dr. Michael Rochon-Duck and Dr. David Donaldson.
Upon approval of release by the UCI Cardiology Department, Bouwmeester will be flown back to St. Louis and monitored by Barnes Jewish Hospital and Washington University physicians.
The Blues will provide an update on Bouwmeester's status early next week.
Bouwmeester is lucky to be alive following the terrifying cardiac episode and having the machine implanted in his chest to help keep his heart operating properly is likely a welcome concession for Jay and his family.
These devices can shock the patient during periods where their heart rate increases - like it would in a professional hockey game - which is a bit of a cause for concern. The shock is apparently intense enough to cause the patient to faint.
More information on the device can be found here at WebMD.
One interesting point is that it may render Bouwmeester unable to take part in contact sports, as it could cause damage to the ICD.
We will continue to monitor this story and provide updates as they become available.
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