Cyprus president undergoes successful heart surgery in US

Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades has had successful open heart surgery in New York to repair a valve, the government announced on Wednesday.
Spokesman Nicos Christodoulides said Tuesday’s procedure at Mount Sinai hospital in New York “was absolutely successful”.

He said Professor Dr David Adams performed the operation which was also intended to cure heart arrhythmia Anastasiades has been experiencing.

“The procedure progressed smoothly with no complications or particular problems,” he said.

Anastasiades will now remain in the facility’s intensive care unit for a few days.

The 68-year-old conservative had previously said he expected to have the operation after Christmas because of a heavy schedule including visits to Moscow and Israel.

Christodoulides said Anastasiades is expected home before Christmas, but will miss the EU summit in mid-December when he will be represented by Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras.

Damage to the mitral valve, the “inflow valve” for the left side of the heart, is not considered life-threatening. Repair is normally carried out using a catheter with a tiny balloon attached.

Anastasiades was taken ill last month at an EU summit in Brussels suffering from high blood pressure and a nose bleed. Doctors said his heart condition is unrelated to that incident.

The conservative leader was elected in February 2013, just days before Cyprus had to negotiate a painful 10-billion-euro ($12.5-billion) bailout with international lenders.

He is credited with steering the country away from near-bankruptcy and ensuring that the economy did not suffer a double-digit recession.