Bret Michaels' Surgery a Success, Doctors Say
PHOENIX (CBS/AP) Rrocker Bret Michaels' surgery to close a hole in his heart was successful, officials at a Phoenix hospital area said Tuesday.
A surgical team at St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center performed the procedure on the former Poison frontman and "Celebrity Apprentice" winner Monday in Phoenix.
PICTURES: Bret Michaels
PICTURES: The Celebrity Apprentice
A hospital spokeswoman says Michaels is recuperating and remains in the hospital's intensive care unit for observation.
Doctors discovered the hole in Michaels' heart in April when he was treated for a brain hemorrhage.
In Monday's surgery, doctors inserted a catheter into a vein in Michaels' groin with a closure device, and tiny cameras assisted doctors as they operated to close the hole.
The closure device will remain in Michaels' heart permanently to stop abnormal blood flow between two chambers of his heart, which is thought to have caused the warning stoke he suffered.
The surgery follows a srting of physical ailments Michaels, a diabetic, suffered last year including a stroke and appendicitis.
The 47-year-old musician has starred in a number of reality TV shows, including "Rock of Love" and "Bret Michaels: Life As I know It," and hosted the 2010 Miss Universe pageant. He has two daughters with fiancee Kristi Lynn Gibson.
