Jay Bouwmeester Update: Defenseman underwent a successful ICD procedure

The Blues released a statement today regarding Jay Bouwmeester, who suffered a cardiac incident on Tuesday night in Anaheim:

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.

An ICD procedure implants a small battery powered system into your heart and chest that monitors heartbeat rhythm and can administer small shocks to ensure that arrhythmia doesn’t occur. According to the Mayo Clinic, it can either do small maintenance of heart rhythm or it can administer a powerful shock internally much as an AED would administer externally.

The recovery time for the surgery is between two and three weeks, and a person shouldn’t use their shoulder much for about four weeks after the procedure. The Mayo Clinic advises that doctors may tell their patients to avoid contact sports indefinitely as to not dislodge the ICD.