United CEO Oscar Munoz, who suffered a heartback and was forced to temproraily step down just weeks into his tenure, recevied a heart transplant on Wednesday.
United isssued the following statement:
Our president and CEO, Oscar Munoz, underwent a heart transplant operation early Wednesday and is in recovery. A transplant was considered the preferred treatment and was not the result of a setback in his recovery. We all wish Oscar well during his recovery, and we expect him to return at the end of the first quarter or the beginning of the second quarter. We will provide additional information in the next 24 hours.
Good news?
Well, I am glad the procedure went well but think the recovery time is very optimistic.
The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute says recovery time for a heart transplant often involves one to two weeks in a hospital and several more months of monitoring, including frequent blood tests, echocardiograms and heart-tissue biopsies. Recipients must take medicine to prevent their immune systems from attacking their new hearts. The survival rate in the U.S. is about 88% after one year and about 75% after five years.
I truly am fascinated by Munoz’s health trials and want to know, while respecting his privacy, whether his heart issues were known when he assumed the CEO position and what really went on over the last few months. Munoz is not a private citizen, but the head of a global airline. Consequently, his privacy expectations are not analogous to those of his wife or children.
In any case, I wish him a full and speedy recovery and look forward to seeing what “additional information” United will provide in the next 24 hours.
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