The Rolling Stone Blog

Bret Michaels Has Successful Heart Surgery

By | The Rolling Stone Blog – Tue, Jan 25, 2011 3:24 PM EST

Bret Michaels went under the knife in a Phoenix, Ariz. hospital on Monday - and he's recovering well.

Surgeons at St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center worked to repair a hole in the rocker's heart -- one that's been there since birth, but was discovered just last April, when Michaels, 47, was hospitalized for a brain hemorrhage.

PHOTOS: Bret's rockin' days

A hospital spokesperson told the Associated Press that the surgery was successful, and that the Celebrity Apprentice 3 champ is recuperating in the intensive care unit. During the procedure, doctors inserted a catheter into a vein in Michaels' vein with a permanent closure device to prevent the abnormal flow of blood between two chambers of his heart.

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"Barring any complications, I should be out within three to four days," the Poison frontman told The Arizona Republic over the weekend. "Then, I will be down [resting] for three weeks. I don't know if I can sit around for that long, but I'll try my best."

PHOTOS: Peek inside Bret's home

Over the holidays, Michaels announced that he and his longtime girlfriend Kristi Gibson were engaged. Gibson, 39, is mom to their daughters Raine, 10, and Jorja, 5.

 

Photograph by Joey Foley

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