Nipissing MP and Speaker of the House Anthony Rota is doing well after undergoing scheduled bypass surgery at the Health Sciences North hospital in Sudbury yesterday.
"He is resting comfortably and doing well," says spokesman Matt Sookram. "This was a planned, scheduled surgery. He is expected to be in the hospital for about a week which is the normal procedure and then he’ll slowly return to normal parliamentary duties over the next few weeks.
According to the Mayo Clinic, coronary bypass surgery redirects blood around a section of a blocked or partially blocked artery in your heart. The procedure involves taking a healthy blood vessel from your leg, arm or chest and connecting it below and above the blocked arteries in your heart. With a new pathway, blood flow to the heart muscle improves.
Coronary bypass surgery doesn't cure the heart disease that caused the blockages, such as atherosclerosis or coronary artery disease. However, it can ease symptoms, such as chest pain and shortness of breath. For some people, this procedure can improve heart function and reduce the risk of dying of heart disease.
Rota addressed a group at a peace rally Sunday, before entering the Sudbury hospital Monday for the surgery.
He was elected to a second term as Speaker in November after first being chosen for the post in 2019.
Rota was first elected to the House in 2004
