SC Gov. Henry McMaster has surgery that had been previously delayed
South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster underwent minor surgery Thursday morning, according to a press release from his office.
The surgery was to address a meniscus tear he suffered in 2022 while playing tennis with First Lady Peggy McMaster, according to the release.
The 76-year-old was originally supposed to have the surgery in 2022, but the procedure was delayed when it was discovered that the governor had an intermittent irregular heart beat, The State previously reported.
An irregular heart beat, also known as atrial fibrillation, occurs when the heart’s upper chambers beat out of sync with the lower heart chambers, according to the Mayo Clinic.
In December of last year, McMaster underwent a procedure for atrial fibrillation to correct the heartbeat issue and he recovered well, according to the governor’s office.
A full recovery is also expected following Thursday’s orthopedic knee surgery, which began at 6:18 a.m. and lasted less than 30 minutes, the governor’s office said in the release.
“Governor McMaster had a minor procedure this morning to correct a cartilage injury in his knee,” Dr. Jeffrey Guy, the governor’s orthopedist, said in the release. “His arthroscopic procedure ... was without incident. No post-procedure limitations are expected.”
As was the case during the 2023 procedure, McMaster was placed under general anesthesia for Thursday’s surgery, the governor’s office said.
McMaster notified Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette of the elective procedure Wednesday, as the South Carolina Constitution provides that the lieutenant governor may take executive action in case of emergency if the governor is temporarily disabled, according to the release.
There was no information that Evette assumed the role of acting governor, which would only be required if an emergency occurred and McMaster was incapacitated.
The governor’s office said that McMaster plans to resume his regular work schedule Thursday afternoon.
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