UPDATE: The governor's office announced on Friday that Henry McMaster will be heading home soon following a minor outpatient heart procedure that was performed that morning. The governor's cardiologist, Dr. Amy Rawl Epps, said the procedure lasted roughly one hour 50 minutes and was "successful and uncomplicated." The governor will resume his normal schedule on Saturday.
COLUMBIA, S.C. -- Governor Henry McMaster plans to have some outpatient surgery on Friday, December 15, 2023.
According to a release sent out, the governor is having a heart procedure to correct paroxysmal atrial fibrillation, an intermittent irregular heartbeat.
The elective procedure is scheduled to start around 8 a.m. and is expected to last two to three hours, during which time he will be under general anesthesia.
The paroxysmal atrial fibrillation was first discovered and treated by Dr. Amy Rawl Epps, the governor's cardiologist, on April 27, 2022, when Governor McMaster was scheduled for elective outpatient orthopedic knee surgery to repair a slight meniscus tear suffered while playing tennis with the First Lady.
Dr. Epps characterized the elective procedure as a "relatively simple" one and added that the 76-year-old has "had an extensive cardiac workup" and "has very normal cardiac function and no evidence of significant coronary artery disease."
He is scheduled to be discharged to return home shortly following the procedure.
Governor McMaster has notified Lieutenant Governor Pamela S. Evette of the elective procedure. The South Carolina Constitution provides that the lieutenant governor may take executive action in an emergency if the governor is temporarily disabled.