Former Gov. Terry Branstad undergoes elective heart procedure

DES MOINES – Former Gov. Terry Branstad, one of three Iowa Republicans seeking the 2010 GOP gubernatorial nomination next month, underwent an elective medical procedure to treat a partially blocked artery in his heart Wednesday at a Des Moines hospital, according to a campaign spokesman.

Dr. Michael Fraizer, an interventional cardiologist at Iowa Methodist Hospital's Iowa Heart Center, said Branstad, 63, did not have a heart attack. He said a stress test during the former governor's regularly scheduled cardiology appointment suggested a need for further evaluation. 

The blocked artery was discovered during a scheduled angiogram Wednesday and the blockage was treated with the placement of a stent, said Branstad campaign manager Jeff Boeyink. 

“This routine procedure was a success, resulting in improved blood flow to the front of the heart and I expect Mr. Branstad to experience a full recovery,” Fraizer said in a statement issued by the Branstad campaign. “Gov. Branstad should be able to resume his normal campaign schedule within the next few days and should quickly return to his normal lifestyle without limitations. He should be fully capable of performing the activities of a candidate and a governor.” 

Boeyink said he expected Branstad, who previously served four terms as Iowa's governor from 1983 to 1999, would resume full campaign activities within a few days. 

“He's in great spirits,” said Boeyink, who visited Branstad and his wife, Chris, in the hospital Wednesday where the former governor was to be held overnight for observation. “He feels great and he's rearing to get back to work and I think you'll see him very, very shortly back out there.” 

Wednesday's procedure represented the second heart-related episode for Branstad in the past decade. 

In December 2000, Branstad suffered a heart attack shortly after he and his wife finished exercising at a downtown YMCA in Des Moines. While walking toward their car, Branstad, who was 54 at the time, said he was having chest pains and wanted to go to the hospital. 

Doctors at that time first performed an angiogram, a standard cardiac X-ray, to detect any blockage. They then performed an angioplasty, a procedure that uses a balloon to open the front middle artery that was 100 percent blocked. 

Branstad has a family history of cardiac ailments. His mother, Rita Branstad, died of an apparent heart attack in 1990 at age 64, and his father, Edward, experienced cardiac problems. 

On Wednesday, Boeyink said the former governor practices a rigorous wellness regimen as an outgrowth of his time as president of Des Moines University “so that these things are caught early, not later.” 

Boeyink said Wednesday procedure was a “great success” and were assured by doctors that there are no health issues that should raise concerns about Branstad's ability to return to Terrace Hill if Iowa voters decide to give him an unprecedented fifth four-year term. 

“He (Branstad's doctor) indicated that there's no reason that the governor can't go back, that he will have no limitations,” Boeyink said. “He said if he were a construction worker he'd have him back on the job in three days. We feel more than confident that the governor can handle all of this.” 

Branstad currently is locked in a competitive three-way race for the GOP nomination heading into the June 8 primary election with rivals Bob Vander Plaats, a Sioux City businessman, and state Rep. Rod Roberts, a five-term lawmaker from Carroll. 

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