[bigboydan]

Ted Kennedy conscious, talking, after hospitalization for seizures

By Peter Schworm and Matt Viser, Globe Staff

Senator Edward M. Kennedy was rushed from his Hyannisport home to Massachusetts General Hospital this morning after an apparent seizure. One government official said the 76-year-old senator suffered a second seizure aboard a helicopter transport flight from the Cape to Boston.

Kennedy’s Senate office released a written statement just after 2 p.m. today offering the first official confirmation, saying, "It appears that Senator Kennedy experienced a seizure this morning. He is undergoing a battery of tests at Massachusetts General Hospital to determine the cause of the seizure. Senator Kennedy is resting comfortably, and it is unlikely we will know anything more for the next 48 hours."

A Kennedy associate said late this afternoon that the senator was conscious, talking, and spending the time surrounded by family, as his doctors work to discover what caused the seizures.

Hyannis fire officials were called to the storied Kennedy compound at about 8:19 a.m. The senator, who was stricken by what officials first believed were stroke-like symptoms, was rushed to Cape Cod Hospital. From there, he was taken to the Barnstable Municipal Airport, where he was placed on a MedFlight helicopter and flown to a landing pad at Mass General, according to local fire department Lieutenant Bill Rex.

The Cape Cod Times published a photograph of Kennedy, strapped to a gurney, being carried onto the chopper by paramedics.

Kennedy, arguably the best known member of the United States Senate, an icon to those on the left, a scourge to conservatives nationwide, was first elected in 1962 to fill the seat left open when his brother, John F. Kennedy, was elected president. He made an unsuccessful run for the presidency in 1980, losing the Democratic nomination to incumbent President Jimmy Carter.

This marks the second time in seven months that the 76-year-old senator has been treated at Mass General. In October, doctors performed surgery to clean out a partially blocked neck artery that they said put him at risk of a stroke. The chief of vascular surgery at the hospital described it at the time as “routine, uneventful, and successful,” and days afterward, Kennedy friends were privately laughing over how quickly the senator demanded his release. He spent most of his convalescence in Hyannisport.

As Kennedy was being treated, friends and family flocked to the hospital. Visitors included Kennedy’s sons, Edward Jr. and US Representative Patrick Kennedy, and his daughter, Kara; Kennedy's nephew Joseph P. Kennedy II; and Kennedy's niece Caroline Kennedy. Senator John Kerry also visited.

Dozens of reporters stood outside the hospital entrance waiting for word on Kennedy's condition, with more than a dozen television cameras from both local stations and national networks.

Today’s episode came as the Kennedy family was involved in a charity bicycle ride that began at the John F. Kennedy Library in Dorchester earlier today, and was scheduled to conclude at a Hyannisport beach with a concert and lobster bake.

“Massachusetts General is one of the best hospitals in the world. I’m 100 percent confident he’ll be fine,” Kennedy nephew Anthony Shriver, founder and chairman of the Best Buddies nonprofit, said as riders arrived this afternoon at the event. Best Buddies is dedicated to enhancing the lives of mentally disabled people..

Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick who, according to his public schedule, was in the Berkshires this weekend, released a statement this afternoon saying, “The senator, Mrs. Kennedy, and their whole family are in our thoughts and prayers. Diane (Patrick) and I are sending good wishes and hoping for the senator’s speedy recovery."

In October, doctors described the extent of the buildup in Kennedy’s artery as "a very high-grade blockage" and said there was a slight chance it could recur in the next few years.

Kennedy's doctors said at the time the blockage found in his left carotid artery could have triggered a stroke by choking off blood flow and preventing oxygen from getting to the brain, or by breaking off and lodging in the brain.

About one-quarter of strokes are due to carotid artery disease. Carotid artery surgery is typically performed on patients who have had a stroke or have an artery that is at least 70 percent blocked.

Kennedy felt no symptoms from the blockage, which was discovered from a routine MRI conducted to check on his spine, which was injured in a 1964 plane crash.

Patients with a neck artery blockage may have similar buildups of fat and cholesterol in other blood vessels, but Kennedy's doctors said there was no need for any treatment on his right carotid artery, and said he had passed a cardiac stress test prior to the surgery.

At the time, his personal physician deemed his overall health excellent and said he exercised daily and ate well. After a short period of rest, Kennedy returned to the Senate floor Oct. 30.

Before the surgery, Kennedy's only serious hospitalization is believed to have been after the crash of a small private plane more than 40 years ago. Kennedy suffered several fractured back bones, broken ribs, and internal bleeding in the crash, which killed two people.

A seizure is an electrical disturbance in the brain that usually lasts no longer than a couple minutes, and it can have multiple causes, including a fever, infection, dehydration, a stroke, a tumor or an old head injury.

Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama, beginning a tour of hospitals in Eugene, Ore., told reporters that he had been in touch with the senator's family. "Ted Kennedy is a giant in American political history. He's done more for health care than just about anybody in history. We are going to be rooting for him. I insist on being optimistic about how it's going to turn out."

Kennedy gave Obama's presidential campaign a big boost this year with his endorsement and has campaigned actively for the Illinois senator.

Senator Hillary Clinton issued a statement, saying, “My thoughts and prayers are with Sen. Ted Kennedy and his family today. We all wish him well and a quick recovery.”

Kennedy is also on good terms with the presumptive Republican nominee, John McCain, who said he was awaiting word on Kennedy’s condition.

"Senator Kennedy's role in the U.S. Senate cannot be overstated. He is a legendary lawmaker, and I have the highest respect for him. When we have worked together, he has been a skillful, fair and generous partner."

Kerry, the state's junior senator, said in a statement that "Teresa and I are praying for Teddy, Vicki and all of his family and we know that everyone in Massachusetts and people throughout the nation pray for a full and speedy recovery for a man whose life's work has touched millions upon millions of lives."

The youngest of nine children of Joseph P. Kennedy and Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy, Kennedy is the last surviving brother of the family's legendary political dynasty. Since his election to the Senate in 1962 to finish the final two years of his brother's term, he has been reelected to eight full terms, and is now the second most senior member of the Senate.

Twice married, Kennedy has three children – Kara, Edward, and Patrick J. Kennedy, a Rhode Island Congressman, and two stepchildren, Curran and Caroline Raclin.

Kennedy has two surviving sisters, Eunice Kennedy Shriver and Jean Kennedy Smith. Two other sisters, Rosemary Kennedy and Patricia Kennedy Lawford, died within the past three years.

[bigboydan]

Here is the latest update I can find on this story.

SATURDAY, May 17 (HealthDay News) -- Massachusetts Sen. Edward M. Kennedy was taken from a local hospital near the Kennedy family compound on Cape Cod to Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston early Saturday after suffering from at least one seizure, and possibly a second one, according to news reports.

Kennedy, 76, was "resting comfortably" at the hospital, according to an early afternoon news release from his office. The news release confirmed that Kennedy, the second-longest serving Democratic senator currently in Congress, had suffered a seizure.

"It appears that Senator Kennedy experienced a seizure this morning," the press release said. "He is undergoing a battery of tests... to determine the cause of the seizure... It is unlikely we will know anything more for the next 48 hours."

Later in the afternoon, according to theAssociated Press, Kennedy's spokeswoman Stephanie Cutter said he was "conscious, talking, joking with family."

She added that Kennedy did not appear to have had a stroke as initially suspected.

According to theBoston Globe, a government official who accompanied the senator on the helicopter trip from Hyannisport to Boston said that Kennedy had experienced a second seizure during the ride. The report of a second seizure had not been confirmed by medical experts or Kennedy's office late Saturday afternoon.

His son Edward arrived at the hospital at about 1 p.m., the newspaper said, and his daughter, Kara, arrived about an hour later. His wife, Victoria, was at his bedside, theGlobereported, and his senatorial colleague from Massachusetts, John Kerry, also came to visit, as did his nephew, former Congressman Joseph P. Kennedy.

In October 2007, a partially blocked carotid artery in Kennedy's neck was discovered during a routine magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examination. Doctors cleared the blockage, and Kennedy was released to convalesce in Hyannisport. TheGlobereported at the time that the blockage could have caused a stroke, but that the chief of vascular surgery at Massachusetts general described the procedure as "routine, uneventful, and successful."

According to the John F. Kennedy Memorial Library, Sen. Kennedy's father, former U.S. Ambassador Joseph P. Kennedy, suffered a series of strokes in 1961 at the age of 73. The thromboses left him virtually paralyzed and unable to speak. He died in 1969.

According to the National Health Library, a stroke occurs once every 45 seconds in the United States. Strokes happen when a blood vessel carrying blood to the brain is blocked by a blood clot. This is called an ischemic stroke. When a blood vessel breaks open, causing blood to leak into the brain, a hemorrhagic stroke occurs.

Kennedy is the youngest of 9 children, and became a U.S. senator in 1962. His older brother, John F. Kennedy, who was elected president in 1960, was assassinated in 1963. Robert Kennedy, who was also a U.S. Senator, was assassinated in 1968 during his presidential campaign.

[Bluehorseshoe]

Kennedy has malignant tumor

Sen. Edward Kennedy has a malignant brain tumor. The hospital treating Kennedy released a statement today saying that the tumor was found during tests after the senator had a seizure Saturday. The tumor is in his left parietal lobe. Full story soon.

[bigboydan]

I was just reading about that Bluehorseshoe. It doesn't sound to promising for him at all.

Here is the latest story on his condition:

Kennedy Diagnosed With Brain Tumor

Malignant Tumor Often Associated With Poor Prognosis
By DAN CHILDS
ABC News Medical Unit
May 20, 2008

The prognosis is not clear for Massachusetts Sen. Edward Kennedy, who doctors today said has a malignant brain tumor; experts say it is among the most common and deadliest form of brain cancer.



According to a statement today from Drs. Lee Schwamm, vice chairman of neurology, and Larry Ronan, Kennedy's primary care physician at Massachusetts General Hospital, doctors found the tumor during a course of tests following a seizure the 76-year-old senator suffered Saturday morning.

"Preliminary results from a biopsy of the brain identified the cause of the seizure as a malignant glioma in the left parietal lobe," the statement reads.

Dr. Lynne Taylor, fellow at the American Academy of Neurology, notes that the parietal lobe is located above the left ear and is known to be the area where the speech center sits.

"The fact that [surgery] wasn't their first step might imply that it was close to the speech center," Taylor said.

[bigboydan]

Kennedy Leaves Hospital in Boston

BOSTON — One day after hearing the news that he has a malignant brain tumor, Senator Edward M. Kennedy, the longtime Massachusetts Democrat and patriarch of the Kennedy family, walked out of a hospital on Wednesday morning to a crowd of well wishers appearing strong and cheerful.

Mr. Kennedy was admitted to Massachusetts General Hospital here on Saturday after suffering a seizure at his Cape Cod compound. After several days of tests, a preliminary biopsy of the brain revealed that Mr. Kennedy, 76, has a malignant glioma in the left parietal lobe on the upper part of his brain, a cancer that often carries a bleak prognosis.

But if there were any signs that the diagnosis had slowed Mr. Kennedy or dampened his spirits, they were not evident as he left the hospital shortly after 10 a.m. on Wednesday.

Holding hands with his wife and walking side by side with his children, Mr. Kennedy exited the hospital to cheering and cries of good luck from a few dozen supporters who gathered outside the hospital. Mr. Kennedy waved and gave a thumbs up sign as he walked to his car, then circled back and played with his two dogs before getting in a car and driving off.

The only evidence of the procedure and diagnosis appeared to be a small two-inch by two-inch bandage on the back of Mr. Kennedy’s head.

Dr. Lee H. Schwamm, the hospital’s vice chairman of neurology, and Dr. Larry Ronan, Mr. Kennedy’s primary care physician at the hospital, said in a statement that Mr. Kennedy “has recovered remarkably quickly” and would be awaiting further test results and treatment plans while recovering at his Cape Cod home.

On Tuesday, they explained his treatment options, saying that the usual course for someone with his history and diagnosis includes “combinations of various forms of radiation and chemotherapy.”

Senator John Kerry said in an interview from Washington that he spoke with Mr. Kennedy late Wednesday morning and that “Ted is thrilled to be out of the hospital.” He said Mr. Kennedy’s “spirits are high and he hopes to get out on the boat this afternoon with his wife and couple of folks, let the air get through his hair, salt on the face, and sun, and just enjoy it for a moment.”

Mr. Kerry said that Mr. Kennedy was in the process of trying to evaluate the treatment options available to him and that it was likely that all the test results were not yet complete.

“I’m quite confident that Ted is going to find every expert and every available new approach or other approach and he will consider it very carefully and thoroughly,” Mr. Kerry said. “This is a guy who has been asking questions for 40 years. He knows how to ask questions.”

Mr. Kerry said he did not know about Mr. Kennedy’s plans to return to work, saying that would depend on what the doctors advised and what treatment was chosen. “If it were up to him, I’m sure it would be today or tomorrow,” he said.

News of the brain tumor jolted people in Washington, Massachusetts and beyond, generating reaction from around the world, where Mr. Kennedy’s family legacy and his 46 years in the Senate have made him a well-known figure.

Mr. Kerry said it was striking “the numbers of people who have asked to send good wishes” to Mr. Kennedy, “everybody from the police officers at the doors of the Capitol that are guarding us to folks on the street to everybody in the dentist’s office I was in this morning.”

He said that in Massachusetts, “there is a lot of shock out there. Right now I think people are honestly just digesting and just trying to get up off the floor.”

[bigboydan]

Even though they make it sound semi-successful, I doubt he will recover from this.

Here is an update after his surgery today.

Doctors call Sen. Kennedy's brain surgery successful

By Thomas H. Maugh II and Johanna Neuman, Los Angeles Times Staff Writers
June 3, 2008
WASHINGTON -- Sen. Edward M. Kennedy underwent a 3 1/2 -hour targeted brain surgery at Duke University Medical Center today to remove a malignant tumor.

The surgery "was successful and accomplished our goals," according to a statement released by the neurosurgeon, Dr. Allan Friedman, at the facility in Durham, N.C.

Friedman said Kennedy was awake throughout the entire procedure and should experience no permanent neurological effects from the surgery.

A Kennedy spokesman said the senator spoke with his wife, Vicki, immediately after the surgery and told her: "I feel like a million bucks. I think I will do that again tomorrow."

In a statement issued by his office, the 76-year-old Democrat said his surgery will be followed by radiation treatments at Massachusetts General Hospital, as well as chemotherapy.

Saying he was "humbled by the outpouring" of prayers from around the world, the senior senator from Massachusetts thanked those who have "expressed their support and good wishes as I tackle this new and unexpected health challenge."

The liberal lion of the Senate, who endorsed Illinois Sen. Barack Obama for president in February, said that after completing his treatment, "I look forward to returning to the United States Senate and to doing everything I can to help elect Barack Obama as our next president."

Kennedy was diagnosed last month with a malignant glioma. He probably will remain at Duke recuperating from the surgery for about a week.

Over the past few days, the statement said, the senator's wife, "along with my outstanding team of doctors at Massachusetts General Hospital, have consulted with experts from around the country and have decided that the best course of action for my brain tumor is targeted surgery followed by chemotherapy and radiation."

The procedure was intricate, complicated by the fact that the tumor cells can be very difficult to distinguish from surrounding brain tissue and because the tumor is located very close to centers of the brain that control motor function, speech and memory.

While few details of the Duke surgery have been released, experts have described what might be considered a typical procedure:

Sunday night, before the surgery, Kennedy most likely underwent an MRI that allowed surgeons to generate a three-dimensional map of the tumor. Friedman and his team would have referred to this map frequently during the procedure and may have used more imaging during the operation to ensure that they removed as much tumor as possible.

Many neurosurgical operating suites have an MRI or CT scanner in the room for easy access.

Kennedy probably was then placed under deep sedation, but not put to sleep.

After pulling back a flap of outer skin and cutting through the skull and the dura -- the membrane surrounding the brain -- the team would have identified important speech and motor areas near the tumor. "Everybody is wired slightly differently," said Dr. Mike Y. Chen of the City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center in Duarte, so surgeons have to map the areas precisely.

Motor areas can be located in one of two ways: Surgeons can use a small electrode on the wrist to send a signal that can be detected in the brain. "Once you know the location of the signal from the wrist, you can extrapolate to where others are located," said Dr. Keith L. Black, chairman of the department of neurosurgery at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.

Alternatively, surgeons can use an electrode to apply minute electrical currents to brain tissue to check for leg or arm movements and map out motor control that way.

If the tumor is near a speech center, Kennedy would have been asked to talk, such as by counting, while surgeons used an electrode to apply minute currents to the brain. If his speech were suddenly interrupted, they would know that they had found the speech center.

Then, typically working under a microscope, the neurosurgeon would begin removing the tumor cells. Because gliomas usually do not have sharp margins between the tumor and normal brain tissue, it is not possible to simply cut around the edges and remove them.

Doctors will, however, send a sample slice to a pathology lab for confirmation of the diagnosis. They may also have removed a larger section that will be used in vaccine preparation or to check for genetic markers that may be useful in choosing chemotherapy drugs.

They would then have begun nibbling away at the tumor a little bit at a time, possibly using electro-cautery to burn away tumor cells or an ultrasonic aspirator that breaks down the tumor cells and sucks them out.

No matter how carefully the surgeon works, however, there will virtually always be "microscopic infiltration beyond what the eye can see" and what is revealed on the MRI, said Dr. Erin M. Dunbar of the University of Florida, a spokeswoman for the American Academy of Neurology.

"No matter how much tumor is resected, we know there are microscopic tumor cells [left behind] in the normal tissue," she said.

The typical progress for survival after surgery, chemotherapy and radiation is 12 to 14 months.

Kennedy may have chosen Duke because Friedman and his colleagues have an active program to produce therapeutic vaccines for brain tumors. Results presented today at a Chicago meeting of the American Society for Surgical Oncology show that such vaccines can often double survival time.

Kennedy was hospitalized May 17 after a seizure at his home on Cape Cod.

[bigboydan]

Kennedy heads home after surgery: office

BOSTON (Reuters) - Sen. Edward Kennedy, the patriarch of America's most famous political family, will return home to Massachusetts on Monday, a week after surgery for removal of a malignant brain tumor, his office said.

"His doctors are pleased with his progress since surgery ... and he will continue to recuperate at home before starting the next phase of his treatment," his office said in a statement.

It said Kennedy, 76, was returning to his home in Hyannis Port, after initial recuperation at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, North Carolina, where he underwent surgery last Monday.

"In the interest of family privacy, there will not be regular updates regarding the senator's daily schedule or treatment plans moving forward," the senator's office said.

Kennedy, the youngest brother of slain President John F. Kennedy, was diagnosed on May 17 with a malignant brain tumor called a glioma, which usually proves fatal within three years.

His doctors at Duke said Kennedy will begin targeted radiation and chemotherapy treatment at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. There has been no word on when he may return to work in the Senate.

(Reporting by Thomas Ferraro in Washington and Svea Herbst-Bayliss in Boston; Editing by Bill Trott)