Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT) undergoes emergency surgery to relieve pressure on his brain

Associated Press | January 9, 2003

[Timesink]

Helena, Mont. (AP) Sen. Max Baucus undergoes emergency surgery to relieve pressure on his brain.

[Dog Gone]

Did he have a stroke?

[TheBigB]

Hope he's OK. No jokes.

[Constitution Day]

Wishing him the best.

[Salvation]

Even if he is a Democrat, prayers for this politician at this time.

[WinOne4TheGipper]

Sorry. I didn't see the word emergency. I thought it was routine. Disregard my previous post.

[xsmommy]

CJ, do you know anything about Max' condition?

[Rad_J]

Should we wait to see if he lives before making wise cracks? For example, will he turn into a republican after they relieve the pressure?

I guess I will show some respect and wait and see.

[Dog Gone]

He did call in sick at a campaign fundraiser last night.

[Wolfstar]

Although, politically speaking, I am worlds apart from most Democrats, on a personal and human level, I hope for the best for Sen. Baucus. The brief article does not say what caused the pressure on his brain. Do you know, Timesink? Accident, stroke, tumors, and brain swelling due to illness such as encephalitis are the most common causes. In any case, the man is critically ill and deserves our sympathy.

[Constitution Day]

Tacky.

[sirshackleton]

Best to him for a quick recovery. With things like this, politics can take a seat on the bench for a while.

[IGOTMINE]

I'll be the first to ask...is the governor of Montana a Republican?

[TheBigB]

Yes.

[Support Free Republic]

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[Constitution Day]

No idea.

[WinOne4TheGipper]

I hope that he'll be alright.

[Coop]

Reminds me a lot of Paul Coverdell's death about four years ago. Hoping and praying that Sen. Baucus recovers fully.

[Dog Gone]

Montana Senator Has Emergency Surgery
Associated Press

HELENA, Mont. - Sen. Max Baucus underwent emergency surgery Friday morning to relieve pressure on his brain, apparently caused by a fall he took in a race in November.

Dr. Mark Sanz, Baucus' personal physician, said the 62-year-old Democrat underwent surgery at the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Ariz., Friday morning.

Sanz, who was not involved in the surgery, said Baucus was "doing fine" and expected to fully recover.

[kcvl]

Posted on Fri, Jan. 09, 2004

Montana Senator Has Emergency Surgery
Associated Press

HELENA, Mont. - Sen. Max Baucus underwent emergency surgery Friday morning to relieve pressure on his brain, apparently caused by a fall he took in a race in November.

Dr. Mark Sanz, Baucus' personal physician, said the 62-year-old Democrat underwent surgery at the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Ariz., Friday morning.

Sanz, who was not involved in the surgery, said Baucus was "doing fine" and expected to fully recover.

[Diddle E. Squat]

emergency surgery to relieve pressure on his brain.

What's the survival rate on this procedure? Sounds extreme, and thus pretty serious.

[IGOTMINE]

I wonder what Montana law is about incapacitation? Maybe a quick trip to Google is in order.

[theophilusscribe]

[Pest]

Sanz, who was not involved in the surgery, said Baucus was "doing fine" and expected to fully recover.

I guess this means we can start joking now.

[Guillermo]

This is the guy who blames the US for Castro's repression.

I wonder if he'd rather be in a Cuban hospital.

[ThePointer]

Hope he's OK. No jokes.

No kidding. Reminds me of 9/12 when my friend emailed me and said; "Ya know, I'm a dyed in the wool Democrat but Guliani is doing an ok job".

It struck me the wrong way and I told him to kiss off. Actually it was worse, but that's my PG-13 version of my response.

[leadpenny]

Bio via C-SPAN

http://capwiz.com/c-span/bio/?id=361&lvl=C&chamber=S

and Senate bio

http://capwiz.com/c-span/webreturn/?url=http://baucus.senate.gov

[AuH2ORepublican]

Prayers for Senator Baucus and his family.

[justshutupandtakeit]

A "fall in a race" ? A marathon, a race to the bar, a race away from a bar?

[hoosiermama]

Bump for later

[Billthedrill]

Yeah, we hold off on the jokes about Democrats and brains until the guy actually recovers, which is what I'm praying for. A decent enough sort by all reports. I wish him the best.

[Dog Gone]

I'll bet he wanted this surgery about as much as he wanted a hole in his head.

Oh wait.

[theophilusscribe]

Yes he does.

And besides that, he's not that bad. More Zell Miller than Tom Daschle. This is a snippet from his last press release:

PRESIDENT SIGNS HEALTHY FORESTS BILL
Baucus Helped Broker Compromise Aimed At Curbing Wildfire
December 3, 2003

(Washington, D.C.) – Montana Senator Max Baucus today joined President Bush as he signed into law the Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003, which will help reduce the risk of wildfire, create jobs, and protect Montanans' rights to participate in decision-making.

Baucus was invited to the ceremony because he helped broker a compromise to the bill, which passed both chambers of Congress overwhelmingly last week.

"I was honored to be a part of today's bill signing," Baucus said. "The Healthy Forests bill will greatly help our country, especially those of us from the West. We in Montana just finished one of the most devastating fire seasons in history. Now we can start to bring balance and common-sense to managing our forests."

[libstripper]

This is really serious for Max. From what I've seen, this type of intracranial pressure is often caused by a cerebral hemorrhage. It's what killed FDR and what killed the late senator from Georgia, Paul Coverdale (R). Surgery like this is usually done as a last resort.

I've gained this knowldege from reading the news; I'm a retired lawyer, not an MD.

[Toskrin]

Sounds like a chronic subdural hematoma. Blood slowly accumulates between the skull and brain over weeks. Reagan had one in 1989 several weeks after a fall from a horse.

There's a good chance he'll be fine.

[Rad_J]

yep, it was very tacky. My post made that clear. It also was also done in such a way that it was not funny. It was meant to be a spoiler post for anybody wanting to post jokes.

I have confidence that he will recieve the best care available. I hope he has a full and fast recovery.

[roostercogburn]

He is going to be fine. Here is the link

http://www.billingsgazette.com/index.php?tl=1&display=rednews/2004/01/09/build/state/23-baucussurgery.inc

[shrinkermd]

How can a fall 2 months ago cause this?

Possible Answer: He probably had a subdural hematoma. This is leaking of blood or serum between the skull and the brain--below the dura or covering of the brain. Surgery is usually successful unless there are complications or extensive brain damage. It sounds like the Senator should do fine.

[CFC__VRWC]

What's the survival rate on this procedure? Sounds extreme, and thus pretty serious.

The article goes into no detail, but I wonder if the procedure involved placing a shunt in his head to help drain fluid and thus relieve the pressure. My sister-in-law, who has severe neurofibromatosis, had to have one of these installed when she was a child. Right after she gave birth to her first child (almost 14 years ago), her shunt failed and she had to undergo emergency surgery to install a new one. It is serious business, but IIRC she was out of the hospital in a couple of days, so it's a fairly routine procedure.

Assuming thst this is the procedure they performed on Senator Baucus, of course. At any rate, prayers to the senator and a hope for his speedy recovery.

[BureaucratusMaximus]

Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT) undergoes emergency surgery to relieve pressure on his brain

Daschle is deeply saddened next?

[Dog Gone]

Sen. Baucus undergoes emergency surgery to relieve pressure on brain

HELENA (AP) - Sen. Max Baucus, underwent emergency surgery Friday morning to relieve pressure on his brain, apparently caused by a fall he took in a race in November.

Dr. Mark Sanz, Baucus' personal physician, said the 62-year-old Democrat underwent surgery at the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Ariz., Friday morning. Sanz, who was not involved in the surgery, said Baucus was "doing fine" and expected to fully recover.

Baucus spokesman Barrett Kaiser said the senator had been feeling ill for some time and became dizzy on a flight to Phoenix Thursday. He said Baucus was checked in to a local hospital, where a CAT scan showed that fluid had built up on the outside of his brain, a condition known as a subdural hematoma.

The injury was believed to come from a fall Baucus took while running in the JFK 50-mile road race Nov. 22 in Maryland. Although Baucus finished the race, he suffered a black eye and needed stitches to close a wound.

He was in surgery for about two hours Friday, Kaiser said.

"Max is strong as an ox both physically and mentally," Kaiser said. "He sailed through the procedure and we expect him to be back to 100 percent very soon."

Kaiser said Baucus would likely check out of the hospital Saturday or Sunday.

Baucus, in his fifth term as Montana's senior senator, is the top Democrat on the powerful Senate Finance Committee.

[Robe]

pressure on his brain

It's probably his conscience

[Wild Irish Rogue]

" This is really serious for Max. From what I've seen, this type of intracranial pressure is often caused by a cerebral hemorrhage"

Could be a subdural hematoma.More than you probably want to know about subdurals,from the University of Missouri:

"The brain is enclosed in the skull, which is a rigid, solid bone. Surrounding the brain is a tough, leathery outer covering called the dura (door-a). The dura attaches to the brain, just beneath the skull bone. The dura normally protects the brain and keeps it nourished with blood and spinal fluid. When a person receives a severe blow to the head, the brain bounces within the cavity. This movement of the brain structures may cause shearing or tearing of the blood vessels surrounding the brain. When the blood vessels tear, blood accumulates within the space between the brain and the dura. This is known as a subdural hematoma (sub-door-ul hem-a-to-ma), or blood clot in the brain.

When the blood accumulates between the dura and the brain, swelling of the brain occurs. There is no extra room within the skull to allow for the brain to swell and for the blood to accumulate. The only way the brain can compensate is to shift the delicate structures out of the way. This can cause pressure on vital functions, such as eye opening, speech, level of awakeness (or consciousness) or even breathing. Some subdural hematomas are small and can resolve on their own. Others, which may be larger or more severe, may cause serious problems and must be removed. The procedure of choice for removal of a subdural hematoma is surgery to remove the blood clot.

Causes
A subdural hematoma can happen to anyone, at any age. Some common causes of subdural hematoma include:

A blow to the head, such as in a motor vehicle crash, assault or bicycle accident
Falling down and striking the head
People at particular risk are those who:

Are elderly and have trouble walking or fall often
Take a blood thinner, such as Coumadin
Signs and symptoms
The signs and symptoms of a subdural hematoma include severe headache, dizziness, vomiting, increased size of one pupil or sudden weakness in an arm or leg. As the subdural hematoma swells and the brain structures are pushed together, more visible signs can occur. A more dangerous sign of subdural hematoma is a decreased level of consciousness, such as drowsiness, confusion or inability to awaken from a very deep sleep (often called coma). Because the brain controls all functions of the human body, breathing pattern changes also can occur. Shortness of breath, gasping for air or very slow breathing can be a warning sign that the person needs help. A subdural hematoma can be life-threatening; therefore, if any of these signs or symptoms occur, the person should be taken to a medical facility immediately."

[Skywarner]

Best wishes and prayers to the Senator and to his family. I'm sure that these are trying times and very stressful for all.

(Yes, please refrain from any jokes about this unfortunate situation. Unlike other sites, we are above that.)