WASHINGTON — Congressman Pete Olson, R-Sugar Land, whose district includes parts of Galveston County, had a pacemaker installed in emergency surgery after he collapsed while working out Thursday morning.
Olson was working out in the U.S. House Members gym on Capitol Hill at about 6:20 a.m. when he collapsed. White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, who also was working out there, was one of the first to reach Olson after he went down, Olson’s spokesman, Luke Marchant, said.
The 46-year-old congressman was rushed to George Washington University, where doctors implanted a dual-chamber pacemaker to regulate his heartbeat. Hospital cardiologist Allen Solomon said Olson’s fainting spell was caused by a slow heartbeat, medically referred to as bradycardia.
“This is a common, often asymptomatic, condition, and we expect the Congressman to resume his active lifestyle,” Solomon said in a statement released by Olson’s office.
Marchant said his boss was joking around and in general good spirits after the surgery. Olson, who is in his first term as the District 22 Congressman, is scheduled to fly back home on Friday to spend the weekend with his family but will be back on Capitol Hill next week, Marchant said.
Olson’s heart problems are ironic in that his predecessor, Nick Lampson, D-Stafford, had to have emergency bypass surgery in March of 2007, during his first year as the district’s congressman.
